Crest (c64)

Crest (1988-, http://w3studi.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/~toegelrd/)
GER> Crossbow (Roland Tögel, code, aka xbow, 10/90-08/02), Cyclone (gfx,    also in Abyss [amiga], 04/00-08/02), Deekay (Daniel Kottmar, gfx, aka     dk, 12/93-08/02), Graham (code, 08/02), Xayne (Guiseppe Musardo, music,     08/89-08/02). SWE> Dane (Stellan Andersson, code gfx music, 04/97-01/04), Mitch (Michael    Nilsson-Vonderburgh, music, 12/94-08/02). DEN> Drax (Thomas Mogensen, music, 04/93-08/02), Jeff (music, 04/00-08/02). NOR> Mermaid (Vanja Utne, code gfx music, also in Creators, 99-01/03).

PREVIOUS MEMBERS -

GER> DJ Weasel (ger? crack, ex Crazy, new 01/91), Megabyte (Martin Marl,    gfx, 92-93), The Syndrom (Matthias Hartung, code gfx music swap, ex     Padua, also in The Imperium Arts, new 04/93-04/97). DEN> Maduplec (code music, ex Nato, new 12/91-04/97), MSK (Morten Sigaard    Kristensen, music, ex AMN [no entry], 04/91-93), Tiger (ex Nato, new     12/91). ???> Bizzmo (gfx, early93), Deek (music, early93), GBF Design (ger? gfx,     10/90-93), Goldrush (ger? 10/88-10/90), Royzex (gfx, 08/89), Vision (ger? code, 08/89-93), Zoolook (ger? 08/89-10/90).

Crest was a german-based demo group (though a few cracks were released early in their career), born in august of 1988. They are one of the c64 scene's biggest success stories, being one of the best groups on that scene for 15 years now. They are living legends. 1990 - Scorpie joined from Manowar while Heatseeker (crack) joined from Orion around february. The demo "2 Years Crest" [10/90] announced that Chake (08/89-) and Scorpie had both left the group, and that Magic Man was never a member. Heatseeker and Bonk (10/90-) were kicked for lazyness, and Lawyer (10/90-) joined X-Ray in december. 1991 - DJ Weasel (crack) joined after Crazy died in january. Danish members Maduplec (code) and Tiger joined from Nato in december. 1992 - Pat left the group around january, and at the same time O'Neill changed his handle to MSK (which are the initials of his name). Megabyte joined the army in october, and will not be able to perform any scene duties until this is over. 1993 - Sometime between january and april, The Syndrom (also in TIA) joined the group from Padua. 1995 - Deekay was booted out of his second group TRSI around january. 1997 - In april Crossbow and Deekay released the demo "Krestage 2 - Follow The Roots" [04/97]. Deekay was main graphician on Graham/Oxyron's second- place demo "One-Der" [12/97] at The Party! 1998 - At the Mekka Symposium in april, the group released the demo "Krestyron" in cooperation with Oxyron. 2002 - Dane's demo "Digital Magic" made it all the way up to first place in the demo competition at Little Computer People! 2004 - Dane contributed an intro (in cooperation with Iopop/Triad) for Oxyron's diskmag "Attitude #7" [01/04] in january.

Crazy Bytes (1988, 20.08, Demo). info: First ever Crest demo. 183 blocks.

18 Years Now (1988, 22.10, Demo). info: Goldrush's birthday demo. 124 blocks.

The Other One (1988, 30.10, Demo). info: 57 blocks.

Fucking Bytes (1988, .12). info: 93 blocks.

Wobbling Bytes (1988, .12, Demo). info: 123 blocks

Puke Around the X-Mas Tree (1988, 23.12, Demo). info: 201 blocks.

Name of the Lame (1989, 01.01, Demo). info: 173 blocks.

A Simple One (1989, 07.01). info: 84 blocks.

Intro Collection (1989, .01, Demo). info: 89 blocks.

My Surprise (1989, .01). info: Fanatic's birthday demo. 116 blocks.

We Call It Acid (1989, .01, Demo). info: 21 blocks.

Blow Jobs (1989, 01.02, Demo). info: 190 blocks.

Blow Job II (1989, 14.02, Demo). info: 133 blocks.

Blow Job III (1989, 20.04, Demo). info: 357 blocks.

Puke Around the Easter Eggs (1989, .04, Demo). info: 435 blocks.

Sauerkraut'89 (1989, .05, Demo). info: Cooperation with ZEB and WOT. 123 blocks.

Blow Job IV (1989, .05, Demo). info: 228 blocks.

Hot Chocolate Bar (1989, 01.07, Demo). info: 546 blocks.

One Year Crest (1989, 05.08, Multiload Demo). code: Vision, Crossbow, gfx: Vision, Crossbow, Royzex, music: Xayne, Falco Paul/20CC, "Domino Dancing" by Johannes Bjerregaard, TW, Thomas E. Petersen. Winner of the Stardom, Future Concepts, Crazy party demo competition! review: Some nice routines in this oneyear celebration demo from Crest, like a sideborder tech-tech, some sprite DYSP multiplexes and 5 DYCP scrollers at the same time, on top of each others. The overall impression is semi-good; potential not fully unleashed yet. [glenn]

Best of Crest (1989, .08, Demo). info: ASM winner demo. 1328 blocks.

Blow Job V (1989, .10, Demo). info: 427 blocks.

Musical X-Cess (1989, .10, Demo). info: 521 blocks.

The Endless One (1989, .11, Demo). info: 105 blocks.

For 2 Guys Only (1989, .11, Demo). info: 111 blocks.

Red Hot Chilli Pepper (1989, 23.12). info: 626 blocks.

Mc Donald's Restaurant (1990, .02, Demo). info: 1041 blocks.

Alcoholic Hangover (1990, .06, Demo). Cooperation with Pioneers and the Guardian Angels.

The Bubble Tale (1990, .06, Demo). info: 650 blocks.

2 Years Crest (1990, 20.10, Multifile Demo). code: Vision, Crossbow, gfx: GBF Design, Crossbow, music: Xayne, Laxity/Vibrants, Link/Vibrants, Zardax/Origo, Geir Tjelta/Moz(IC)Art, Chris/Megablast. review: 2YC is graphically a very appealing demo, technically advanced and certainly one to turn a few heads. The coding by Vision and Crossbow is top-notch, a lot of the graphics by GBF Design is very very good, and the music is... just fabulous. Really, the only place this demo lacks anything is in the design department. The design of some of the parts are a little lacklustre, with some more thought put into this aspect, this would have been an excellent demo. As it stands, it's merely a very good one. This demo announces the leaving of Chake and Scorpie, and the fact that Magic Man was never a member. The demo consists of 12 files, totalling 660 blocks (including the note). This was likely not released at any party. In 1994, Pink/Abyss did an amiga cover version of Zardax' fabulous tune for this demo. What follows is a breakdown of the different parts, with specific credits - part 1; graphical introduction (c: vision, g: gbf, music: "breakfast" by xayne), part 2; 16 sprites over fli logo + bordersprites (c: crossbow, g: crossbow (logo), gbf (char), m: "juicy fruit" by xayne), part 3; 11 dycps (c: crossbow, g: crossbow (chars), m: "jingle" by zardax/origo), part 4; joystick-controlled picturescroll (c: vision, g:  gbf, m: "funky stuff" by xayne), part 5; fiftysix dxycps (c: crossbow, g:  n/a, m: chris/megablast), part 6; 112 sprites in all borders (c: crossbow,  g: gbf, m: moz(ic)art), part 7; fld sideborder scroll (c: vision, g: gbf,  music: laxity/vibrants), part 8; fli fld logo (c: crossbow, g: gbf, m:  laxity/vibrants), part 9; 160 dycps (c: crossbow, g: gbf, m: link/  vibrants), part 10; the end upscroll (c: vision, g: gbf, crossbow (the end logo), m: link/vibrants). There is an accompanying note (most versions available online do NOT have this note!), that details the credits for each part. Credits for this note goes as such; c: vision, g: gbf, m: geir tjelta/moz(ic)art. [glenn]

Puke Around the Candle Light (1990, 28.10, Demo). info: Crossbow's birthday demo. 257 blocks.

Best of Crest II (1990, .11). info: ASM winner demo. 1992 blocks.

On The Way (1991, Demo).

Trust Your Eyes (1991, 07.01, Multifile Demo). code: Vision, FGTH/Genesis Project, gfx: Vision, FGTH/GP, VIP, Hein Design/?, GBF, music: Link/The Vibrants, Drax/The Vibrants, JCH/The Vibrants, Laxity/?. Cooperation with Genesis Project. review: TYE is a cooperation demo with Genesis Project (hereafter GP), and though not really an outstanding one, it nevertheless has some good parts. The two take turns coding parts, so every other one is made by Vision and FGTH. There is in total 9 parts, which we'll walk you though chronologically here. part 1 (vision) has scrollers and moving G + C logos, part 2 (fgth) has 84 sprites with a multiplexed dysp, part 3 (vision) has moving G + C logos in the bottom border, colorful upscroller moving left and right and in borders, part 4 (fgth) has 4 dycp scrollers over a (very good) picture of an eye, part 5 (vision) has a joycontrolled dxycp containing 32 different characters. + a scroller, part 6 (vision) is a little cluttered; starting at the bottom there is a scroller, then a  genesis + crest logo, then dots (the main 'effect') on either side of a  textplotter with VSN+FGTH sprites flying all over it. Phew! ;) part 7 (vision) has a large scrolling picture and two dycp scrollers, part 8  (fgth) has some smooth but small hidden line vectors and finally part 9 is  the endpart, which is just a textplotter and some fireworks.    The demo consists of 9 files totalling 516 blocks, plus a onescreen  notefile of 17 blocks - all in all 533 blocks. [glenn]

Asbest (1991, .04, Musicfile). code: n/a, gfx: none, music: MSK. review: Just a simple player-screen for a doublespeed tune by MSK. The tune is average, and this playerrprog is just standard. The production's name is based on its filename, no name appears within. [glenn]

Ice Cream Castle (1991, .04, Demo). info: 1028 blocks.

Joke of the Year (1992, Demo). info: 164 blocks.

Glober/Yugowaria (1992, .01, Demo). info: BUDS demo. 140 blocks.

Visions Birthday (1992, 30.04, Demo). info: 27 blocks.

Crest Light (1992, 28.06, Demo). Released for the Hurricane and Brutal Summer Party 92 demo competition. info: 623 blocks.

Happy Birthday (1992, .07). info: Deff's birthday demo. 18 blocks.

Best of Crest III (1992, .10). info: 64'er demo compo. 1328 blocks.

Crest Avantgarde (1992, 25.12, Demo). info: 664 blocks.

Why I Like Demos (1993, .04, Demo). code: Maduplec, gfx: JTM/Visual Reality, Maduplec, music: Drax, Maduplec. info: Contains a.o.t. vector cubes (world 1st) and the biggest tech-tech ever (36x24 logo with 256 pixels, joycontrolled). This demo is also known by its shortname WILD. This was Maduplec's last appearance before "Krestage" in 1997.

It's Coming (1995, .08, Demo). info: 100 blocks.

Avantgarde Light (1995, .11, Demo). info: 150 blocks.

Krestology (1996, 08.04, Demo). Winner of the X96 demo competition! info: The introtune by Dane (& mitch?) is called "Dazzler".

Krestology Light (1996, .06, Demo).

Bondage (1996, .09, Demo). info: 124 blocks.

Sideborder-DYCP (1996, 25.11, Intro). info: 2 blocks.

Bob-A-Lot (1997, 31.01, Intro). Winner of the second 2 block demo competition.

Give & Take (1997, 20.02, Demo).

2 Blocks Trackmo (1997, 11.04, Demo). info: 2 blocks.

Digidrum-Concert (1997, 11.04, Demo). info: 2 blocks.

Xbow's Livin' Barf (1997, 11.04, Demo). info: 2 blocks.

Krestage - Back 2 The Roots (1997, 11.04, Demo). code: Crossbow, gfx: Deekay (logos, sprites), Crossbow, Gum Bear Front Design, music: Mitch & Dane, The Syndrom, Drax. review: Seemingly made from the basic idea of doing a demo with an "oldskool" feel, while still offering technical excellence. Perhaps more a coder's demo more than anything else, this, with records being seemingly broken in every single part. This is a very nice demo, make no mistake, but I do feel coders will appreciate the effects and descriptions of those more appealing than the average viewer. As it stands, this is still a significant production, that shows that old records can still be broken, and limits can still be pushed. The demo comes in 2 files, totalling 255 blocks - probably utilising some kind of iffl technology to load the different parts. The demo was released for Xayne's birthday, and likely not for any demo competition at all. This was Maduplec's first appearance since he released "Why I Like Demos" back in 1993. [glenn]

Krestage 2 - Follow The Roots (1997, 26.04, Multifile Demo). code: Crossbow, The Syndrom (endpart), gfx: Deekay, The Syndrome (endpart chars), Gum Bear Front Design (endpart logo), music: Mitch & Dane, The Syndrom, JCH/Vibrants. review: K2 is a very good demo, let me just say that right now. Some amazing effects done seemingly effortlessly, with lots of style, great graphical design and a real sense of innovation. No text in the demo really indicates a party release, so this can just as likely have been released outside a party. The show opens with a simple intro that culminates in a logo-picture by Deekay done in a new graphics mode they call SHF-XL. Nowhere is it mentioned why this is such a special process, neither in the demo nor in  the editor that is present on the disk. The editor, when loaded, defaults to this very same picture. M&D's music is called "Magnetic Moons". Next is something you're going to be seeing a lot of in this demo, a rather amazing little part that precedes all the others in the demo, telling a little about the upcoming display. The part itself features something I have never seen before, a scroller moving from the bottom right to the top left of the corner... in 640x400 resolution! Yes, this is supposed to be impossible, I know, but it sure does look real... M&D's music is "Escape from Reality". Then comes an FLI-stretcher. For those who don't know what this is, I can try to explain it like it stretches a FLI-picture up and down, distorting it in various ways in the process. This part was done with the help of a FPD (Flexible Pixel Distance) routine. The picture here is a pretty good CREST logo by Deekay, btw =) Nice touch with the Krestage logo  in the bottom right border. Style all the way. Music by The Syndrom.    After another visit from the 640x400 part, it's time for some record-  breaking. This time Crossbow's done 11 ora-mega-dycps (and no, I don't  really know the difference from a normal dycp either =), beating Chorus' 8  ones, which again beat the original 7 done by Light. Another stylish part,  with a nice logo by Deekay.    The final visit from our old friend the 640x400 intro, we enter the  endpart - incidentally the only thing in this demo NOT coded by Crossbow  =) This is really nothing special, just an upscroller with some bye-byes. The music is an old unreleased tune by JCH, sent to Crest ages ago, which they were reminded about after JCH released all his old unreleased tunes to the internet. Nice logo here too, supposedly by "Gum Bear Front Design"... [glenn]

Krestyron (1998, 12.04, Demo). 3rd in the Mekka Symposium 98 demo competition. Cooperation with Oxyron [details].

Deus Ex Machina (2000, 23.04, Multiload Demo, 2 disksides). code: Graham/Oxyron, Crossbow, gfx: Deekay, Mermaid (endpart), Cyclone (picture), music: Jeff, Drax. Winner of the Mekka Symposium 2000 demo competition! review: And at the Mekka Symposium, Crest showed us what total domination looks like... In short, this is simply an AMAZING demo, that really shows us how far evolution has come on the humble c64. I'll quickly break down the parts for you here, but do see it yourself, no description can really justify this demo. The opening is great, with a very cool dissolve of the screen into the intro, wholly presented in IFLI, with a textplotter on an AMAZING picture by Deekay! Next is some very fast plasma, and then a spinning checkerboard effect. Then onto an extremely fast and beautiful zoomer, with a pattern that says loading (we also get to see this once again later). Deekay's fourth-placed picture from the MS graphics competition is next, here titled "Techno-cracy" (for the compo, it was "Technocrazy 100%", but perhaps they made a spelling mistake, what do I  know?). Then comes another plasma-variation, this time sortof 'under' a Crest logo, in a part they've titled "Aces-Assma" (?). Then we are shown REAL interference, an effect that they claim has now been done for real for the first time on the c64, previous attempts were merely fakes. It sure does look like real amiga interference to me, at least... Then a small animation asks us to turn the disk. Te second part opens with a Coca-Cola can, that is then spun and twisted in various ways. I remember seeing very similar parts on the amiga in the early 90's, actually =) Next we revisit that amazing zoomer I told you about earlier, only now with a new pattern, while it loads another  picture, this time Cyclone's "Cyclone de l'interieur", which was third in  the graphics competition. The last real effect is also the real  showstopper; titled "Dawnfall in Technicolor", this is just like the good  old 'optimum fuckup' effect, pioneered by Sanity in their demo of the same  name on the amiga, and it looks just amazing! For those who don't know  what that means, it's sort-of texturemapping... And FAST! They mention in  the notefile that you can watch thison a C128 for double speed!! Then it's  just the endpart left, which here is an upscroller over a slideshow of  Mermaid's best pictures, loaded one after the other. There is really no  excuse for anyone not to download this awesome piece of demo.    A notefile accompanies the demo, with exact credits for each part. The note was probably coded specifically for this demo, by Crossbow. Graphics by Deekay, music by Jeff. [glenn]

Digital Magic (2002, 03.08, Multifile Demo). code: Dane, Graham (irqloader, packer), gfx: Dane, music: "No Match" by Mitch and Dane, "Flowerguy's Pool Party", "Magneto" and "Whistle Song" by  Dane. Winner of the Little Computer People 2002 demo competition! review: Dane's one-man show DM is... truly a show. As he mentions himself in the accompanying notefile, it is perhaps more a slideshow than a demo, but having said that it's a goddamn great slideshow ;) This is a slideshow that not only presents a lot of very good pictures, but also a new  'graphics mode', dubbed x-fli. In short, it allows for a lot of color in  small spaces, much like the idea behind the original fli routine, but now  approaching ifli resolutions WITHOUT the interlacing. There are interlaced  pictures as part of the show too, but the real impressiveness comes from  the rock-solid 'standard' x-fli ones. Some variation on his subjects might  be in order for Dane, who seems very preoccupied with beautiful, naked  women (then again, who isn't? :]), but when his talent for drawing  physique is as faultless as it is, you can't really fault him on this  either. The demo is roughly divided up into four parts, each with its own  individual soundtrack. The demo is run by first running a file on the  first side, then flipping the disk. The rest of the files are all on the flipside. Though I spend a lot of time discussing the graphics in this production (natural, I guess, since that appears to be its main focus), I will have to extend a special mention to the demo's final piece of music, "Whistle Song". Dane; this one's just awesome, and will follow me around in my head for quite a while... Thank you. :)   Exploring the demo's directory structure, one quickly finds it comes as  stuffed with extras as any 'special edition' dvd ;) The first thing you'll  probably want to have a look at is the notefile, specially coded by HCL/ Booze Design, and featuring no less than six selectable Dane tunes. All four tunes from the demo are accessible using a selector/player on the disk. Dane's contributions to the graphics ("Ray of Light") and music ("Flowerguy's Pool Party") competitions at LCP02 can also be accessed individually on the disks. The music contribution is also featured in the note, by the way. The next-to-last extra is the inclusion of the actual X- FLI editor, and the final one is a small file on the second diskside called 'WEAPON OF CHOICE' (anyone remember a certain music video featuring Christopher Walken? ;]), which is a selector that allows you to jump straight in at any of the four parts. [glenn]

Phases (2003, 22.02, Demo). code/gfx/music: Dane. 3rd in the Floppy 2003 demo competition.