PIC:barclip2.ilbm

CL9:   The Gathering 2003 Demo Reviews
PIC:barclip2.ilbm

CL4:             By Zerox/Gods

CL7:The Gathering 2003 - www.gathering.org

CL1:When:   16th to the 20th of April 2003
Where:  Hamar/Norway

CL7:Introduction

CL1:At   the   same   time  as  the  first
Breakpoint  party took place with most
of  the  active  scene present, one of
the world largest computer events took
place   in   Hamar/Norway.   We're  of
course  talking  about the traditional
Gathering party.

CL0:In the 90s the Gathering party was one
of  the best scene parties around, and
this   resulted   in   lots  of  great
productions  during these years.  From
the  end of the 90s and until now, the
Gathering    could   not   really   be
described  as  a  scene party anymore.
The  gamers  have  totally taken over,
and  therefore  less  productions  are
being released there.

CL1:This  year there were about no sceners
present at all at the Gathering party,
at  least  not  Amiga  sceners.  A few
people  were  present  the  first days
though,    just   to   deliver   their
productions.    But   later  on  these
sceners  also  went  to the Breakpoint
party  instead.   All  in  all,  we've
heard  that  there  were  around  5000
people at the Gathering this year, and
only about 20-30 of these people could
perhaps  be  described as sceners.  So
the   Gathering   party  seems  to  be
heading  in  the same direction as the
The  Party in Denmark, despite efforts
to  keep  being  a  scene  event also.
Perhaps  the  Gathering  party wont be
cancelled though, as the Party is this
year.

CL0:As  in the latest years, the norwegian
groups    Contraz,    Ephidrena    and
Spaceballs  have  delivered  demos and
intros.  This year there were no Amiga
intros at the Gathering party, however
3   demos   got  released.   This  was
exactly the same amount of demos which
got released at the Breakpoint party.

CL8:Demo Reviews

CL7:1.    Ephidrena   -   Fake  Elektronik
Lightshow

CL1:Duration:  Over 4 minutes

The  demo starts off with displaying a
picture  which  shows the surroundings
of  a  building,  and the title of the
demo:   "Fake  Elektronik  Lightshow".
Additionally  you can spot the letters
EPH,   which   stands  for  Ephidrena.
While  seeing  this  picture, you also
hear a voice sample.

CL0:Now  the  first  effect  of  the  demo
appears.   We get to see the side of a
fast  train  passing  through.   Quite
nice actually.

CL1:Next  up is a diffuse background and a
vector  moving  synchronized  with the
music.   The vector object is changing
between  being  visible and invisible.
Particles   are   being  dropped  from
above,  and  rejected when hitting the
vector.   Then  this  routine is being
divided  into  4  screens,  which  are
exact copies.

CL0:The  credits  part  is  next.   In the
right  of the screen we get to see the
traditional  human  3d object which is
spinning  around,  and  on the left of
the   screen  the  credits  are  being
shown.  The text is hitting the screen
with  a  blitz effect and synchronized
to the music.

CL1:We're  now moving in a landscape, it's
like   being   into   a  loop  as  the
landscape  moves  up  and  down.  This
routine also splits into 4 screens.

CL0:Then another background picture of the
wall  of a building appears.  In front
of  it  we  see  something which looks
like  a  voxel-twister.  The screen is
divided  into  4,  just to return to 1
screen  again.   Suddenly a picture of
half  of a girl upside down pops up in
front of the twister.

CL1:In the next routine we see a grey/blue
background      which     is     being
stretched/zoomed  a  bit.   A  picture
appears in front of it, just to vanish
again.  Then this routine turns into 4
screens as well, and back to 1 screen.
Another  picture  in  the  same  style
appears in front.

CL0:The  screen splits into 4 screens, and
the  screens  display  a  sky and some
clouds,  in  addition  to  an airplane
which  is  flying  towards us.  We see
the  airplane  in  all  kind of views.
Suddenly  the  4  screens  turn into 1
screen,  and  we see the airplane in a
real close-up view.  Very nice.

CL1:Now  the  music  changes  a  bit  from
electronic, more into hip-hop.  We see
alot   of   background   pictures   of
tagged/graffiti   walls.   The  entire
scene/routine   reminds   me   of  the
Tragedy-demo from the Party 4.

CL0:Next  up  is  a  background picture of
some  stairs and a picture of some men
in  front of it.  In between an effect
of  a transforming object synchronized
to  the  music  appears.   Nice  light
effects are added too.

CL1:Then  the  front  picture  of  the men
disappears,  and  the  screen  divides
into   4  screens.   Now  we  see  the
transforming   object   much  clearer.
Nice  movements  and other effects are
added   to  this  scene.   The  screen
changes  from 1 into 4 again, and back
again,  while the colours are changing
as well.

CL0:Now the fast train appears again, it's
exactly  the  same  as  displayed  the
first  time.   We  see the side of the
train.

CL1:The   next  routine  is  a  background
picture   of  another  tagged  wall  I
guess.   In  the middle of it we see a
strong  light, and particles are being
spread  away  from  it.   We  also see
these  black  ball  objects  which are
going towards this strong light.

CL0:The  screen is divided into 4, just to
be  joined  into  1 again.  The strong
light is now moving in the screen, and
the  ball-objects  are suddenly coming
towards us.

CL1:Then   another  stairs-scene  appears.
And  some shadow-objects are moving up
the  stairs  towards  us.   The object
transforms  alot, into something which
looks a bit like a sea-star.  We see a
fast glimpse of the fast train passing
through,   just   to   return  to  the
stairs-scene,  which  now  has changed
into  4  screens.  We see a mix of all
these  routines  many  times; the fast
train,   the   object  moving  up  the
stairs,  the split into 4 screens etc.
At   the   end   it's   just   like  a
photographer  taking  pictures  of the
object.   The  music  slows down and a
voice    says:     "fake    electronic
lightshow".

CL0:This  demo got good music which pushes
the  demo  forwards.   The music style
really  fits  this  kind  of demo very
well.   The  same  style  of design is
going  through the entire demo, but to
me  all these background pictures look
like  scans.  Nevertheless, everything
really fits.  I can't say the demo has
any  really  outstanding  effects, but
everything  works great together.  All
in  all,  it  is  a good demo worth to
watch  a few times.  Ephidrena managed
to   come   second   in  the  combined
Amiga/PC  competition,  and  should be
happy  about  that.  After all, at the
same   time  they  won  the  4k  intro
competition in coop with Spaceballs at
the Breakpoint party.

CL7:2.  Spaceballs - We were dark helmets

CL1:Duration:  Nearly 4 minutes

CL0:The  opening  of  this  demo  is a bit
chaotic.  We see lots of variations of
greyish   colour,   while   the  music
indicates a storm.  We vaguely see the
name Spaceballs appear.

CL1:Then  the  real  music  kicks  off the
show,  and  the  title  of the demo is
being   revealed:    "We   were   Dark
Helmets"  on  the right of the screen,
and    in    the   left   we   see   a
blurred/lightened cube object which is
rotating.

CL0:A   background  picture  appears,  and
above  it  a  rather  big half-visable
transforming object.  It's changing to
the rythm of the music.

CL1:Then   there's   another   big  silver
3d-object  which  is tranforming.  The
object  seems  to  be  inside a box or
something, which is also moving.

CL0:Next  up are some black dots/particles
which   are   moving  around,  joining
eachother and getting separated over a
white  background.  We also see a text
saying    "audiovisual    performances
performed  by  the very best people in
their respective fields".  And another
text  above  and below this giving the
credits "Slummy and LugOOber".

CL1:After  that  we  see  some light beams
which   are  coming  out  of  a  black
background.   And then something which
looks   a   bit  like  a  rubric  cube
appears.   The  rotating  cube  is  in
front  of a background picture of some
buildings.  Inside this cube there's a
light  ball,  which  sends  out  light
beams from the cube.

CL0:Then  a text saying:  "We respect...",
and   lots   of  names  of  Spaceballs
members   appear,  over  a  background
effect.

CL1:In  the  next scene we get to see lots
of  cube-like objects which are moving
away  from  us,  and  they  are joined
together.   The movements are timed to
the music, and quite nice.

CL0:Next  routine is a big sea-star object
which is transforming.

CL1:Afterwards a huge ball object which is
expanding  hits  the screen.  It seems
like  more balls are being pressed out
of this big ball-object.  There's also
a  background  picture  of  a building
displayed.    In  this  routine  there
seems to be a small bug in the mapping
I think.

CL0:Then we see something which looks like
some  kind  of  twister-effect, but it
isn't really.

CL1:Towards  the  end  of  the demo we see
lots of small blurred cube-like vector
objects  in  a  pattern, moving up and
down to the music.

CL0:At  the end we just see a text saying:
"We are Spaceballs you are not".

CL1:This  demo also got fitting music, and
"in  your face"-effects.  But actually
I   think  some  effects  look  a  bit
recycled,  and  the  demo  isn't  very
interesting  after  my  opinion.  I've
seen  far better demos from this group
previously.   Nevertheless,  the  demo
came  third  in  the combined Amiga/PC
competition.   This  is the first time
since ages that Spaceballs haven't won
the  TG  demo  competition though.  In
any  case,  Spaceballs  in  coop  with
Ephidrena  presented  a great 4k-intro
at  Breakpoint party at the same time,
and that one surely won.

CL7:3.  Contraz - Micromonster

CL1:Duration:   About  3  minutes  and  30
seconds.

CL0:The  demo  starts  off  by  a  loading
picture.   We  see  an Atari-disk with
Micromonster.

CL1:Then  something  which  looks like the
negatives  of  a film pops up, and the
word   "Contraz"   appears,   and  the
credits  are flying from left to right
also,  while  the screen is flimmering
when the credits hits their position.

CL0:Next  up is something which looks like
a  small  pac-man  world.   We see the
micromonster   move   around  in  this
"labyrinth" environment.

CL1:Then  the  real  music starts, and the
micromonster  is  rotating in front of
the  imaginary  labyrinth,  while  the
word  "micromonster"  is  nicely being
displayed.  Then it's being zoomed out
of the screen.

CL0:After  that  we  see  a  picture  of a
monitor with the startup screen of the
Commodore   64  in  the  left  of  the
screen.     On    the    right,   some
colourcycling      and     lots     of
signs/symbols   are   going  from  the
bottom  of  the screen to the top.  At
the  bottom of the screen there's also
a "Nostalgia"-headline.

CL1:It  now  seems  like we're moving in a
weird    blue/black   voxel-landscape.
Quite cool.

CL0:Then  a  really  nice  effect pops up.
It's   like   a   big  black  rotating
cylinder   with   the   sign   of  the
micromonster.  Out of the micromonster
you  can  see  the light reflecting on
the background.

CL1:Next  routine  is  an  electric  ball.
When   you   see  the  electric  beams
hitting eachother and the edges of the
ball,  they're  getting  rejected.  On
the  left of the screen there's also a
text  being  displayed.   It's  moving
from  the  bottom  to  the  top of the
screen.

CL0:Again  we  see some flimmering and the
micromonster  sign,  which  is  almost
invisible, is rotating.

CL1:Afterwards   a   very   cool   routine
appears.    It's   some  nice  looking
ball-objects  which are moving slowly,
jumping  up and down, inside a tunnel.
You  can  see  the  reflection  of the
balls in the ground.

CL0:Then it's time for the greetings part.
We   see   some  round  vector-objects
moving  up  and  down.   And on top of
these,   the   greetings   are   being
displayed.

CL1:The  last  routine is just a sign with
the  end  and  the  micromonster.  The
picture is being lightened/bumpmapped.

CL0:The  demo  came  15th  in the combined
Amiga/PC demo competition, and I'm not
sure   why  it  didn't  get  a  better
ranking.  Perhaps because the music is
slower, just like most effects in this
demo?  And there are not many "in your
face-effects".   However, the demo got
many  interesting  routines  and  it's
well-designed   (real  pixelling).   I
miss  a few part-links, but I've heard
a  final-version  of  this  demo  will
arrive    soon.     I    think    this
oldskool-demo    should    have   been
displayed   at   a  real  scene  party
instead,  like at the Breakpoint party
in  Bingen  where it would have gotten
the respect it deserves.

CL7:Conclusion

CL1:Even  though the Gathering party can't
be described as a scene-event anymore,
this  party  delivered the same amount
of   Amiga  demos  as  the  Breakpoint
party.     Contraz,    Ephidrena   and
Spaceballs  managed  to  come  up with
some  decent  productions  just as the
previous  years.   And  if you haven't
seen the productions yet, it's time to
do so now.  It's quite impressive that
the  demos  did so well in competition
with  all  the  PC demos.  Only one PC
demo  managed to beat two of the Amiga
demos.   It's  however  sad  that  the
Gathering  didn't  have  an  own Amiga
demo  competition  this  year  despite
them   saying   they  want  the  scene
present at the party.

CL0:Next year I hope the Amiga groups will
release   their   productions  at  the
Breakpoint   party   instead  of  just
trying  to  get some easy money at the
The  Gathering  party,  hehe.  I think
the  Gathering  as  a  scene-event  is
dead.   But  it's definately the place
to be if you're a gamer.
