Deadline Demoparty 2024

PC Demo

• Maximum running time is 10 minutes.
• Size limit: 1 GB

Oldschool Demo

• Maximum running time is 10 minutes.
• Long end scrollers may be cut off earlier than that.
• The entry must be provided in a common file format for the target platform, e.g. .prg/.d64 for C64, .prg/.st/.msa for Atari ST/Falcon, .adf/.dms/single executable file for Amiga.

PC Intro (64K + 4K)

• Size limit of .exe: 64 KiB (65,536 bytes) / 4 KiB (4,096 bytes)
• All other files in the archive will be deleted before showing the entry in the competition
• For shader-heavy OpenGL intros, please consider providing the organizers with a debug version that contains unminified shaders and prints the shader compiler’s messages on a console or similar. This will help with troubleshooting.

4K Executable Graphics

• All platforms allowed (PC + Oldschool)
• Size limit: 4 KiB (4,096 bytes)
• All other files in the archive will be deleted before showing the entry in the competition
• Maximum precalculation time: 60 seconds

256 Byte Intro

• All platforms allowed (note: this explicitly includes fantasy consoles like TIC-80, Pico-8 or MicroW8).
• Entries must be one file, and that file must be 256 bytes or less.
• Entries will be shown for approx. 1 minute by default. They will be shown longer if there’s significant progression.
• Maximum running time is 3 minutes.

Wild

• Anything possible! It can be run on any other platform which is not listed in other competitions, or be something other than a demo (e.g. a music disc, artpack, game, …)
• No size limit.
• Maximum running time is 10 minutes.
• Either bring the platform and we will try to hook it up, or include a digital video of your entry, or perform it on the stage!

Video / Animation

• Provide a video or animation file. Please use a standard format, ideally H.264 High Profile for video, PCM or AAC for audio, and a MP4, MOV or Matroska container
• Maximum running time is 10 minutes.

Streaming Music

• Entry must be in MP3, OGG, OPUS or FLAC format.
• Entries will be played back using the latest XMPlay.

Oldschool Music

• Allowed formats:
  • SID, DualSID (will be played on 8580 SID)
  • ZX Spectrum .tap or .pt3
  • Atari ST .prg or SNDH
  • Amiga Executable
  • AHX+HVL
  • Sega Mega Drive ROM file
  • Adlib/OPL3 (RAD2/ADT2/Furnace/VGM)
• The playtime of the song must be specified, otherwise we’ll fade out after 90 seconds.

Themed Photo

• The theme this year is “Carnival/Circus/Varieté”. Go get creative!
• It has to be the competitor who took the picture.
• Retouching and collages are allowed.
• If it’s not a pure photo: Do not forget your working stages! Without them, your entry will be disqualified. Please ensure that your entry includes the original, unmodified picture(s).

Textmode Graphics

• ASCII/ANSI: Maximum width is 80 characters, maximum height is 2048 lines.
• PETSCII/ATASCII: Maximum width is 40 characters, maximum height is 25 lines.
• No XBIN, custom fonts, custom palettes, blinking or Ansimations. iCE Colors are supported.
• Please declare whether your ASCII should be displayed as PC or Amiga ASCII, or include a suitable SAUCE record.
• PC ASCII/ANSI is shown using 80×25 VGA mode.
• Amiga ASCII/ANSI can use any font supported by AnsiLove; the default is “topaz”.
• If you’re unsure whether your entry will be displayed correctly, provide a PNG as a fallback along with the original file. (optional)

Freestyle Graphics

• You can use every tool you wish (pixel/render/scan & retouch), just be creative.
• The entry should be delivered in a lossless format, e.g. PNG.
• Animations are not allowed.
• You must include at least three working stages of your entry.

Oldschool Graphics

• Entry must be in a native graphics format for an oldschool platform.
• Entries for platforms without a standardized image format (Atari XL, C64, …) must be handed in as executable. Otherwise, a picture in a standard image format (e.g. IFF on Amiga) is accepted.
• Animations are not allowed, except for scrolling.