Denise V2.0 Amiga emulator

"Denise" is a new Amiga (and C64) emulator for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. And it's surprisingly good!

Development of "Denise" seems to date back to around 2017, when it started as a Commodore 64 emulator. In March 2023 author PiCiJi released version 2.0, which adds Amiga 500 and 1000 emulation. Running Fedora Linux, I gave it a quick try.

Apart from downloading and extracting the archive, no program installation was required. Just double-clicking "Denise" program icon, and selecting Kickstart ROM file and ADF in the preferences, I was able to nicely play a round of "Tinyus", with sound, and without any glitches or performance issues (i7-4790T, 2.7GHz). 

Double-click icon, select Kickstart ROM, select ADF, and play. Nice!

"Denise" has a little bit of history, which certainly helps when a new emulated platform is created. Preference and menus need a little more work (localization, graphics), but nothing's missing, and everything (still) looks very clearly structured with the added Amiga-related items. (Most?) changes to preferences take effect immediately.

When playing "Tinyus", I had to make a little change to the input configuration: "Tinyus" needs the Space-bar key, which is occupied by Joystick-Fire-Button per default. Assigning a new key just took a couple of seconds without reading instructions. Perfect.

"Denise" preferences: C64 and Amiga cores

"Denise" feels as if it has been designed with a lot of modularity in mind. For example it looks as if the (emulated) video output section from the existing C64 emulation is being used for Amiga video, too - which totally makes sense, as both machines generate quite similar video signals. And there is a "core selection" setting - future new cores can probably be expected.

More "Denise" preferences

Emulation performance was perfect with "Tinyus", which is also reflected by SysInfo's speed test results: "Denise" runs cycle-exact. (No further performance tests were done by me at the current point in time.)

SysInfo: That looks pretty cycle-accurate.

To round it up, here's a shot of "Denise"'s C64 emulation running "Destroyer", and the C64 settings window.

"Denise" C64 emulation and preferences

It's still a bit rough around the edges, and a bit limited, but, wow, "Denise" is a fantastic new Amiga 500 and 1000 emulator! And you get a great C64 emulator along the way! Try it, it's great!

You can download "Denise" from its sourceforge website

https://sourceforge.net/projects/deniseemu/

If you like to read some program code you can visit "Denise"'s git repo:

https://bitbucket.org/piciji/denise/src/master/

Additional sources:
http://amiga-news.de/en/news/AN-2023-04-00113-EN.html

Happy anniversary, Easy1541!

Ok, not reeeally Amiga, but then still very Amiga, is Fabrizio Farenga's Easy1541 website.

If you ever considered somehow doing something useful with your Amiga regarding the C64, it might have been to build an Easy1541-compatible cable, connect the Amiga to a Commodore 1541 5.25 inch floppy drive, and modify disk contents using Fabrizio's "Easy1541" software (see links below).

It's been 25 years since "Easy1541" was created, and many Amiga/C64 users have chosen this solution to access their C64 disk drives and images.

To celebrate the software's 25th anniversary, Fabrizio has created a website that takes his creation to the next level: "Easy1541" goes online!

You can upload disk images, and retrieve individual files from it, or upload individual files, and retrieve a disk image created from those files.

Certainly a useful tool everyone should bookmark, and a nice way to keep the spirit alive!

Click the link below to check it out:

https://www.easy1541.com

Happy 25th anniversary, Fabrizio & Easy1541! 

 

 

If you want to know more about Easy1541, it's probably best to take a look at the AmiNet package: http://aminet.net/package/misc/emu/Easy1541

Does Muse's "Algorithm" steal from "The Last Ninja - Wilderness"?

Retro is hip. Calvin Harris and many other contemporary musicians openly state the influence the nowadays called "retro-scene" had and has on their work. Do Muse owe more than just a bit to "The Last Ninja"?

"The Last Ninja" is frequently listed among the best games ever for the Commodore 64 and the Amiga (as "Ninja Remix"), and on either platform it's blessed with an outstanding soundtrack. Among all of "Last Ninja"'s music tracks, composed by Ben Daglish and Anthony Lees, the best known is probably "Wilderness", of which many remakes can be found on the net, including live band renditions.

In 2018, Muse released their album "Simulation Theory", and on first sight you get the (semi-)retro idea they obviously had. The cover instantly reminds you of "Blade Runner" , "Strange Days", "Tron", and the likes, the whole bunch of 70s to 90s science fiction cinema classics. Equally does the music take you back a couple of decades. The opening track's drums almost speak out "eight-zero-eight", and it's classic analogue synth sounds all over the place.

So let's start at what could be the beginning:

Commodore 64, "The Last Ninja" - "Wilderness" by Ben Daglish & Anthony Lees, 1987

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbBENI8sHFE

A masterpiece of 3-channel SID composition. The only thing it lacks is a distinctive drum sound, but once you get it, it still has a strong underlying groove, and on top of that some beautifully crafted melodies, mostly in the pentatonic scale, along with lots of arpeggiated chords.

Three years later, Jochen Hippel creates a remix of the same composition for "Ninja Remix", with added drums, emphasizing the groove (and adding an uptempo section):

Amiga, "Ninja Remix" - "Wilderness" by Jochen Hippel (based on original C64 version), 1990

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjFO9VxTo-Y

Fast-forward to 2018, Muse's "Algorithm" from "Simulation Theory", listen especially to the chords after the drums have entered, and some of the melody sections:

Muse - "Algorithm", official music video, 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8f5RgwY8CI

Isn't it staggering? There's even arpeggiated chords. Matt Bellamy from Muse has also openly stated his Amiga-roots, even that "...Muse wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Amiga 500...", so it's no surprise we hear a lot of the then-common sounds and styles in Muse's music. Portions of "Algorithm" almost sound like a direct hommage to the Commodore 64 and Amiga game music composers at the time, and in this case even some of the chord progressions match.

Did Ben Daglish & Anthony Lees' "Wilderness" slip into "Algorithm"? Did Muse steal from the composers? Well, fortunately there's no copyright on chords and sounds alone. The overall composition of "Algorithm" is very different from "Wilderness", and especially the vocal sections evoke a very different mood, so there's probably no question "Algorithm" is a standalone creation. But still there is a huge "Oh yeah...!", as the similarities to 80s and 90s video game music are undeniable, and obviously intentional. Certainly not directly taken from "Wilderness", but at least on a subconscious level it is possible "The Last Ninja" has left a lasting impression in the back of the Muse's minds (or Bellamy's). And if it's not "Wilderness" specifically, then it's the blend of game music by composers like Martin Galway, Chris Huelsbeck, Rob Hubbard, Ben Daglish, Anthony Lees, and others, and the technical equipment available at the time - including an Amiga 500 - that certainly have contributed to "Algorithm". It's as if Muse are giving a friendly nod, maybe even taking a bow, to the generation of 8-bit musicians. Retro computer music has become a part of music history. Given Muse's popularity, one could say it has left its niche existence somewhere between children's bedrooms and demoparties, and reached the open mainstream.

Ben Daglish passed away on Oct. 1st 2018.
Anthony Lees passed away in Aug. 2016.
R. I .P.

* * *

Additional sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Ninja
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulation_Theory_(album)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Bellamy
http://hol.abime.net/982
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB2gNA0cQYo
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/matt_bellamy_muse_wouldnt_exist_if_it_wasnt_for_video_games__my_amiga_500_pc.html
https://www.remix64.com/news/ben-daglish-is-no-longer-with-us.html
https://c64audio.com/blogs/news/anthony-lees-an-obituary 

All used names and material belong to the respective owners.

* * *

What's your opinion? Leave a comment in the comments section below!

The chicken is back: "Tiger Claw" released!

If you don't remember "Bruce Lee" from the Commodore 64 you shouldn't even be here. If you do, on the other hand, rejoice!

Ok, if you don't remember "Bruce Lee", you're of course still free to rejoice, too: One of theee classic C64 games of all time has been remade as "Tiger Claw", originally for the C64, and is now being commercially released for the Amiga! (And Windows, MacOS, Linux, btw.)

"Bruce Lee" original C64 version title screen (1984)

Developers Lazycow and Saul Cross weren't lazy at all, and have updated their game since 2014 with extra features, a training mode, and even a deathmatch arena. Now they've created ports for the several platforms, including the Amiga (1MB RAM required). Heeeeeee-haw!

"Tiger Claw" Amiga in-game graphics (2018)

The release appears to be just perfect: you can download digital copies from itch.io for all platforms, in several different file formats (.iso, .adf, ...) - but the real fun starts with the awesome physical release: The beautiful box (see image below) contains a bootable, labelled CD-ROM in a jewel case, a floppy label for your private backup copy, stickers, a poster, a 20-page manual, pin-buttons, postcards - man, you even get a shuriken!

"Tiger Claw" box artwork - awesome!

This is a no-brainer, a must-have. "Tiger Claw" is probably the most lovely game release the Amiga has seen since "Frontier - Elite II". The game alone is really great, but the physical packaging is just outstanding. Check the links below (see "Sources") for more information if you're still hesitating.

In other words:
Yeeeee-eeeee!
Fight your way through to https://rgcd.bigcartel.com/product/tiger-claw-amiga and buy your copy!
Haaaaww!


Sources:
http://amiga-news.de/en/news/AN-2018-12-00032-EN.html
http://www.lazycow.de/tigerclaw/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee_(video_game) 
https://rgcd.bigcartel.com/product/tiger-claw-amiga
https://assets.bigcartel.com/product_images/228527633/anim.gif
https://assets.bigcartel.com/product_images/228527426/RGCD+Dec18-4.jpg