PIC:barclip.ilbm

                               Generation X
PIC:barclip.ilbm

CL8:                   Writtem by Fishwave of Scoopex & DCS

CL1:All  of  us  know the great history of
Amiga   demoscening.   Especially  the
people  who  actually  read these very
lines   undoubtedly   are  true  Amiga
demosceners  by  heart.   And  yet; we
belong to a generation of sceners that
one   day  will  make  place  for  new
talents,  fresh  blood as they usually
say.   Is  it a fact?  Looking back in
history   we  are  taught  that  there
always  were  periods of about 3 years
within  almost  the  whole  "elite" of
demomakers had changed completely.  It







seems  to  be the common rhythm within
scening:   you  start  as  a beginner,
learn your job, impress the scene with
your  incredible  abilities, enjoy all
the   positive  changes  in  your  new
environment   as   an  well  respected
scener,  and  then your star starts to
fade out.  It's always been like that.
So  let me ask, who is going to follow
us?

Concerning  the  Amiga demoscene there
is  one  big problem - it doesn't need
to  be named (let's do anyway).  Since
Amigas  are  not in the computer store
next door, there are no new kiddies to
purchase  our hardware basis.  Without
seed no fruits.  Let's face it:  there
is  no hope that even a dozen of young
talented  people will consider getting
an   Amiga   and   start  demoscening.
Eventhough  you can buy Amiga hardware
at  e.g.   eBay  at really good prizes
(e.g.   I bought an A500 for 10 Euro),
such  people all are Amiga enthusiasts
or  some  kind of odd classic computer
collectors.   This  is  not  the  mass
movement  of  Amiga  owners from 1990.
Remember  that  it  needs at least 100
Amiga users to find a single demoscene
pearl  among.   So future doesn't look
dark here, there ain't horizon at all.

Even  IF  there  were some Amiga users
who  played  active  on  the scene, it
needs   years   to   learn   the   far
progressed  demo  techniques of today.
See,  it's  not starting with a 3d box
and  ending with a copper bar anymore.
Even if you succeed in setting up your
very own c2p routine, or building your
own  3d  engine - this is nothing new.
But  we  are  talking  about  the next
generation of Amiga sceners - and this
is  associated  with  new  heights for
Amiga  demos.   Already nowadays there
are  only a handful of really talented
coders who can go for some new effects
or visible improvements.  It's utopian
and  illusory  to  think  a newbie can
recapitulate  more  than  10  years of
coding  experience  in a comprehensive
and effective way.
Furthermore  the  Amiga  scene  is  in
competition  with  the  PC.   Supposed
there  is a new candidate to enter the
scene, he has the choice between Amiga
and  PC.   So,  go  and have a look at
recent  PC demos.  Do you believe that
anybody   would  prefer  recent  Amiga
topshots to what is offered him on the
PC   scene?   The  possibilities  over
there  are  just far from any frontier
known to Amiga.
             PIC:3.iff








All   written   in  here  is  negative
propaganda  running  the  Amiga  scene
down  -  that's all the stuff that has
been   published   numerous  times  in
multiple  diskmags throughout a couple
of  years.   Propaganda  or truth - it
doesn't  matter  anyway.   This is not
where this article ends at.
In  fact I believe that there shall be
no  big  difference  in  Amiga  or  PC
demoscene   for   the   coming  years.
Looking  at  the  youth of today - the
generation   X-Box,   Playstation  and
Gamecube  -  it's  all  a  question of
fundamentaly changed structures.

Mind you, all scene activities started
with  computers  that could be more or
less   called  primitive.   Of  course
there   have  been  consoles  for  the
braindead  ever  since, too.  However,
nowadays  kids are buying high-end PCs
only  to  play  ego-shooters.  And use
Word   for   school.   It's  all  very
comfortable.    And   it's   all  very
complex.   Too complex for 14 year old
boys  to  say  "hey,  today I'll start
with  my own 3d engine and I'll become
a  democoder!".   I grant that this is
the  same argument as above.  But then
again that's not my point.

Kids don't get the motivation to enter
the  scene!   In  our scene infancy it
usually   started   with   the   great
cracktros  attached  to  the  games we
played.   Nice  chipmusic,  a smashing
logo   and  that  special  feeling  of
coolness that hid behind the nicknames
of  crackers.   Then  you  got hold of
some  demos  or  diskmags  and you had
been  infected  by  the  scene  virus.
Nowadays  kids  surf  the net for some
patches    (that    don't   have   any
cracktros),  seek for iso's of games /
dvds,  check out some adult sites with
stolen  xxx  passes  or whatever else.
There is just so much to explore - all
pretty  illegal,  and thus pretty cool
for  teenagers - who wants to sit down
for  months and develop a demo?  Ain't
it  much  cooler to build some level /
mission  /  campaign  for  the  latest
ego-shooter?   Ain't  it much more fun
to play online against people all over
the  world  and  gather  in  so called
clans?  Don't you see that the "clans"
of   today   are   the  demogroups  of
yesterday?    It's   all  the  same  -
computer technology, friendship, fun -
only  with even more entertainment and
less creativity, skills.  To rush your
mousepointer  fast  on  the  screen is
something that I would definitely call
lame.  And you can prove that from the
fact  that all big parties with gamers
have  been  massively  ignored  by the
demoscene lately - best example is The
Party,  only  a  shadow  of its former
self - what a shame!

So  maybe  we have been Generation X -
Xtremely skilled!  Those who come next
definitely only are Generation  X-Box!











    PIC:5.iff
