pouët.net

What counts for you in a demo?
If it's technically low, and a hack, but looks great, and is really thoroughly done, tho it's hacked to death, or if it's code is sleek and well done, has amazingly fast routines, etc..., but is done sloppier on the design?

the only thing that counts is if it contains hypnoglow.

The magic in it. It can suck, but if it has magic.. or, it can be fucking great technically but if it's empty of feeling, I don't like it.

The only thing that count are of course BASS and DUNGEON HORROR!

But seriously. As long as it entertains, doesn't hurt my eyes and ears, has effects (as opposed to flyby scenes) and does NOT contain the word "skool", I'm happy.

preacher: here here must have magic!! or a touching narative like heaven 7 etc

for me, it has to look like a fair play to the queen.

the mustach does

he counts for me in a demo!

ass and titties

remember me to wear my tinfoil helmet next time i want to post in a thread, that way maali wont steal my thoughts and get all the fame.

Kelsey: depends on what you want to get out of it.

Mainly, I'm happiest when folks enjoy doing what they do.

And since there are so many different ideas of what is enjoyable, there's all sorts of cool demos (:

Magic, attitude, drive... call it what you want. :)

Actually, I remember having this conversation with Reward at Asm 2004, and I was saying the scene is proof there is still magic out there...

I bet he laughed.

design... (sometimes the scene`s forgotton secret)

I reckon its actually the music. Watch any great demo with the sound off, and it loses whatever it was it had. Put the music on on its own on the other hand, and the tune often remains highly pleasurable.

I tend to look for a professional touch in demos. Like, if you had unlimited resources and skills, you would still lend your name to the same product. It would have let down people, if Heaven 7 directly exposed a figure like Juggler. Instead, they showed a glowy contour of a walking body, and that maintained the illusion. So don't set a goal that you can't achieve.

But sometimes every single element sucks, and the outcome is good. Like in Evade II. Then I also have to call it magic.

Sync, code, everything. Sometimes I even have the mood for watching those artsy stuff. There are several kinds of what we could call "design", if we talk about the music sync/transitions that blows up your mind in FC demos or Robotnik and rare few demos, this is the thing for me! Sometimes, the music makes a demo get a thumb up from me. Sometimes, even minimalistic stuff give me the vibes. And that's all about it. A really good demo keeps me looking stunned onto the screen, because of at least one of those values: sync, mood/vibes, effects, music. Just if one of these is really good, it make me like the demo. Two or more than these makes it an awesome experience. Very few are the demos which stay hard in my mind though. WeCell has three of those elements imho. The latest demo I won't forget. I don't know if I answered to your question. I was just bragging about ;)

In fewer words: Cyberwow effect :)

Wobbel, BASS, Foliba!

WELL RE-DRAWN BORIS VALLEJO PICTURES!

copperbars, plasma and sending fuckings.

in a demo counts, that i like it.

@truck:
Yeah, that's fair enough, but it's not only enjoying the process of creation that matters, imo, but the result also. You might've enjoyed creating the worst production ever (see this one for reference ;) ), but if the audience won't like it...
I think you see my point.

And about "the forgotten element" - is crashing and lagging acceptable if the design is great?

kelsey: Well, there's a point that everyone has to draw for themselves as to how much attention the audience deserves in the demo process. The majority of the world doens't give a shit about demos, and you can read comments from people who really don't give a shit about them here on pouet as well (:

And so, yeah, you have to define your audience. And what you want them to do. If you want to make the audience go 'wow' you need to develop things differently than if you want to make them go 'Bluuughalhdaah' and blow chunks.

So yes, the audience is important, but not only for the purpose of whether they enjoy it; that's just one take. There's the whole punk-ass method of doing stuff: "How can I piss the average American off differently today?" Or "heh, this is SO getting thumbed down!"

In short: The audience reaction can be as much part of the making of the demo as any other part. And just like you can leave sound out, you can leave that out too. But I woudln't (:

And yeah, the audience is the part you DON'T control. So it's the fun part. (and the infuriating part.) And the SCARY part, the part that keeps a lot of people from releasing stuff. Don't be scared, folks. You'll get old doing that.

Shifter: No we just drank more, went and saw the democompo, and he passed out. I went back to the rocks and passed out later (: In the end, I know there's magic and he's in denial (: