The Most Amazing OpenGL Tech Demo In 64kb

[finalzone]

This one is amazing. Works well on my GTX 580.

BTW On Windows the 64kB Demo needs the NVIDIA 335 driver, since with 337 the demo will fail to load. Maybe it also needs NVIDIA <337 on Linux to run it on Wine, since I get a crash when starting it in Wine using 337.12.

Runs well (approx. 24 fps average) on Geforce GTX 460 v2 using Nvidia Driver 334.21. I have a feeling tiled rendering architecture like Power VR chip series may improve the performance

[DrYak]

I can't see any practical uses for it.

Games like Spore practically run on this kind of system.
Procedurally generated content is useful for cases when you simply can't pack enough pre-made artwork.
(either because of space constrains, or because the world of a game is "infinite" and the game must invent new art-work on the flight).

Those waves aren't remotely realistic, nor is the light dispersion fields. Marble texturing is not hard. Actually showing a natural wear and uneven surface detail is hard.

They key point: the authors still managed to cram all this inside a 64k intro.
Those wave aren't that much realistic, and could be done better by an artist.
Except that here, in order to fit inside 64k, the wave aren't done by an artist. They waves are done by a bunch of complex formulas.
Instead of a premade giant multi-mega byte 3D-cinematic, the demos is driven by a small quantity of very simple math formula. And despite this simplicity, despite the fact that everything is crammed inside 64, they still managed to pull this, that's still impressive.

Yes, in 2014 there are probably much more beautiful games on the market. Except that these games come on 2 BlueRay discs, and require extra DLC to go beyond the first chapter.
This demosis 64k.

[entropy]

I guess part of the confusion is due to Michael calling it an "OpenGL tech demo".
It is not. At least not what it might imply - namely showing off what you can do with OpenGL
and hence you would expect world-class graphics (or beyond).

This is a demo (see demoscene) and "just" makes use of OpenGL instead of Direct3D (or a software renderer).
As I (and some others) pointed out, there are usually several different categories that groups compete in.
In this case it is the 64k demo/intro compo, i.e. how much can you accomplish within a binary size limit of 64k.

TL;DR

If you're unsure if this is amazing or not -
It is.

[dee.]

We all descend from monkeys.

No we don't.

Monkeys and us descend from the same common ancestor which were neither monkeys nor humans.

[Ferdinand]

So, you're a monkey? As far as I know they can't write such cool demos.

I thought only creationists thought that evolution said that. We, Monkeys, Gorilla's, Chimpanzees, etc. are apes.

[Ferdinand]

Games like Spore practically run on this kind of system.
Procedurally generated content is useful for cases when you simply can't pack enough pre-made artwork.
(either because of space constrains, or because the world of a game is "infinite" and the game must invent new art-work on the flight).



They key point: the authors still managed to cram all this inside a 64k intro.
Those wave aren't that much realistic, and could be done better by an artist.
Except that here, in order to fit inside 64k, the wave aren't done by an artist. They waves are done by a bunch of complex formulas.
Instead of a premade giant multi-mega byte 3D-cinematic, the demos is driven by a small quantity of very simple math formula. And despite this simplicity, despite the fact that everything is crammed inside 64, they still managed to pull this, that's still impressive.

Yes, in 2014 there are probably much more beautiful games on the market. Except that these games come on 2 BlueRay discs, and require extra DLC to go beyond the first chapter.
This demosis 64k.

I wish AAA games used this technique more. Those games always feel small to me and have very samey level design. Re playability is almost 0. On top of that if you generate the content you can optimize it for the computer it is running on. This would also mean that games become more beautiful the more powerful your computer is.

[sarmad]

I thought only creationists thought that evolution said that. We, Monkeys, Gorilla's, Chimpanzees, etc. are apes.

This raises a very important question which is: were apes smart, or were they smarter than monkeys? If they were then that sucks.
Note: By apes I am referring to the common ancestor of all these.

[b15hop]

That's not true at all
After watching the demo, and for any graphics programmer who is close to demoscene, it's quite clear how it's made. Just take a look to distance functions and you will see how lot of intros ar? made nowadays.
The problem of releasing It on Windows or linux is more related with availability of good executable compressors than system itself, however, visual studio is still today the best c/c++ ide/debugger out there, so usually gfx coders use Windows (not me, i'm stubborn and i use linux even when gdb is slow as hell)
Finally, sceners are open to share algorithms and technics, and usually they post on their blogs how they achieve those wonderful effects, and parties like Revision are the perfect places to meet sceners, learn, and see where the gfx future is going

Isn't there a few other debuggers other than gdb?

[b15hop]

full Phong shading, raytraced realtime
smooth geometry animation (waves and that bending, fully in shaders and working with the lighting)
raytraced "god rays"
realistic marble textures, completely generated
portals
etc etc

you don't find that impressive ?

funny that the people who make this kind of demos also made those "modern games", and they think this is impressive

I'm very impressed with these demos. I wish I had the same level of skill as these guys. Cudos to the awesome demo scene programmers!

[RealNC]

Wow. This article didn't mention the term "Demo Scene" even once. Not once!

Really? Are you f...... serious, Phoronix?