Kaleidoscopico - lftkryo's Raspberry Pi Pico 2 demo

Amiga is a state of mind. Or, if it isn't, lftkryo, of "The Commodorion" fame, has just accidentally created something very Amiga.

Admittedly, this isn't strictly about Amiga computing. Linus Åkesson, aka "lft", or "lftkryo", as he is known on YouTube, creates a lot of interesting stuff using retro tech. Among other skills (e.g. music), he's also an accomplished assembler coder, mostly using the Commodore 64's 6502 CPU, but also several other old or odd nerd machines. 

After releasing the stunning, "impossible" C64 demo titled "NINE" a couple of months ago, his latest creation runs on the Raspberry Pi Pico 2, which is a very stripped down, minimalist version of a Raspberry Pi, with a dual-core CPU running at 150MHz.

It's a very nice demo, obviously some serious programming skills went into creating an entire system with VGA video output and sound - and, in a way, it almost spells out "Amiga". The screen resolution is somewhere between Amiga's "HiRes" and "HiRes laced" modes, the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 has 520KB of RAM, which pretty much matches an Amiga 500's basic configuration, the font is very Topaz, the color palette looks very familiar from 80s/90s Amiga demos, the demo effects are classic, with glenz vectors and "copper" (?) bars, it has a (kind of) Boing Ball, and he even uses an Amiga magazine coverdisk for illustration in the video.

So there is certainly some sort of connection, at least in spirit, somewhere. But seeing the demo makes you wonder: This kind of stuff can be created with a 5$ microcontroller (and some added resistors and capacitors)? This is pretty impressive. What else can it do? This demo experience is so close to watching an actual Amiga OCS demo from the early days, it would be really interesting to see what can be squeezed into, and out of, the Pico 2's little amount of RAM and 4MB flash memory, that makes is behave even more like an Amiga.

Anyway. Until someone starts porting Kickstart 1.3 to Raspberry Pi Pico 2, the most Amiga thing on this platform is lftkryo's nice demo. It reached 2nd place in the Wild compo at Revision 2025. Enjoy!

Watch lftkryo's "Kaleidoscopico" demo (2025-04-21):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhhLoVBpg48

Check out lftkryo's YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@lftkryo

Visit his website at: https://www.linusakesson.net

 

"It’s a reckoning": Worms 30th anniversary

In 2025, Cult game "Worms" by Team17 will have its 30th birthday. To celebrate the occasion, a new, free release of the game is planned - with levels created by the Amiga demo scene!

"Worms - The Directors Cut" (1997) cover artwork

According to sources (see end of article) "Worms" developer Andy Davidson has announced a reimagining of "Worms DC" ("Director's Cut") 1.5, that is set for release in January 2025, and for free. That's a very nice gift to the Amiga scene. 

Actually, he doesn't refer to the occasion a celebration, but a reckoning - which is quite fitting for the game.

To make the new release really special, Amiga demo groups are encouraged to submit their level designs, via a forum thread at amigans.net - which is a nice, and interesting idea. Graphics artists that are active in the demo scene have created some of the most stunning visuals ever seen on Amiga screens, so some eye candy can certainly be expected. "Worms" isn't a very complex game, but maybe, given the deep understanding of maths, bits, and bytes, in these circles, even some unusual, challenging designs might show up, that give the gameplay an unexpected twist.

"Worms - The Director's Cut" (1997) in-game screen

Basically, "Worms" levels are just bitmap images, so all that's required to create one is a paint program such as Deluxe Paint or Personal Paint. A couple of details regarding color palette and depth have to be respected, obviously. 

More details, and your place to submit your application (well, there's no specific process - just leave a note) can be found at this URL:

https://www.amigans.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3282

Additional sources:
http://amiga-news.de/de/news/AN-2024-10-00078-DE.html

COVID-19 cancels Revision 2020

Due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 caused by the new Corona virus, Revision 2020 demo party to be held in Saarbrücken, Germany, from April 10th to 13th 2020, is cancelled - but there's a backup plan.

Based on recommendations from health organisations and doctors, several German states are now denying permits to hold events with more than 1000 visitors. With probably less visitors expected, the Revision party is not directly affected by this practice, but the obvious nature of such an event - esp. the many visitors from different countries - demands increased responsibility from the organisers.

"We are devastated to share this news with you", the cancellation announcement says. Indeed, this is sad news for the Amiga scene, but it's a wise and inevitable decision.

But! There will be events. 

The organisers promise to refund all current tickets. They're also working hard on set of live video streams, planned to be broadcast during the days the original event, covering demo competitions, seminars, music acts, etc. There will be extra livestream tickets allowing virtual visitors to cast their votes and submit entries.

"We’re in full crunch mode on the streaming event now and there will be more information coming up in the following days." 

Read the full cancellation announcement at Revision 2020's website:

https://2020.revision-party.net/cancellation

https://2020.revision-party.net/images/frontend/revision-2020-bg.jpg