Survey submitted: Mon 19 May 2008

Handle, ex-handle(s):
Sparkle

Name, birthday, origin:
Simon, May, UK

Group, ex-group(s):
Dual 4mat

What was your first group, your role in that group and what did that group produce?:
Dual 4mat, demo/intro coder, demos and a disk mag called Visual Intensity

What motivates you to spend time on the scene?:
Nostalgia

What is your favorite color?:
meh!

On what platform(s) did you begin your computing journey, and when was this?:
ZX Spectrum 48k +, 1984

What platform(s) do you use now?:
PC

What is/are your favorite piece(s) of music(s) - from a demo production or a scener (released outside of a demo)?:
Epsonic by NPH & ?/Silents Fr & Anarchy, Act of Impulse by Mantronix and Tip/Phenomena, 4 Months by 4-Tey/Dual 4mat. Wizardry by Jester/Sanity. Le Portrait de Sparkle part Deux by Watts/Dual 4mat

What is/are your favorite picture(s) - from a demo production or a scener (released outside of a demo)?:
Visual Intensity 5's loading screen by Atom/Dual 4mat

What is your favorite programming language, effect, tool, coder, platform, book?:
68k ASM

Discuss: your first steps towards becoming a coder, who helped you, what problems did you run into, your first effect, the future of demo coding:
I came into the scene late in 1992/93 and decided to learn 68k as fast as possible. I never did work out some of the more complicated routines. Many thanks to Phil!94 for helping me at times and 4-Tey's brother, Gary, for supplying some source code discs that I learnt from.

Which project that you worked on was the most exciting and interesting for you? And why?:
Woo! by Dual 4mat will always be the one that I'll remember fondly. No real coding involved, but a bitch to get the timing right!

What is your favorite demo, intro, megademo, retrogame, slideshow, musicdisk, diskmag, wilddemo?:
Fave demo: Enigma by Phenomena
Intro: Guru Meditation with Pre-meditation by Melon
Megademo: Anarchy's first one.
Slideshow: Not one that springs to mind.
Musicdisk: Crystal Symphonies by Phenomena, Scoopex and Quartex (or was it Rebels?)
Diskmag: Gotta be Visual Intensity by Dual 4mat
Wild: never really bothered with them

Discuss: minimalistic demos, cracktros, fucktros, joke demos, lamers, compo winners at big parties, demotools, diskmags, chiptunes, glenz vectors, programming languages, photoshop, textmode:
Cracktros got me interested in the scene, whether you agree with the crackers they are still a part of the scene oldskool and new. Joke demos rock - Dual 4mat made many of them. Our heroes were Melon!

Demotools - only ever used trackers. Diskmags were fun in the day, but not too sure if there is any need for them now. Glenz vectors - shit, never coded one.

Programming languages - well, these days you can do everything just as fast in a simple language. I will always have a soft spot for ASM though.

What percentage of modern demos are 3d flybys?:
Not sure. Most modern demos won't run on my piss poor setup

What percentage of older demos are the same effects recycled?:
100% if you are talking about my demos lol

What platform(s) needs more demos?:
all of them

Which parties do you intend to go to, and which parties would you like to go to? Please describe your personal experiences with your most favourite or impressive party you have ever been at.:
Can't be arsed with that any more.

How did the scene alter since you are taking an active part in it? Can you explain why?:
The members of Dual 4mat who I still talk to think we made the Amiga Demo Scene just that bit more crap, but in a funky skillo sort of way

What are your dreams/goals in life, did scene help you and have you achieved them yet?:
To become a writer. The scene didn't help me one bit in that, but it did give me a great time

Finally, do you have some special greetings? Feel free to add links to your graphics, screenshots of effects, modules or other pieces of your work.:
All the DF crew - TCM, Atom, 4-Tey, TRM, Electro, Watts, Tummo, Wolfie, Stan, Dog.1, Beermonster, Rob, Matt & Doug And the 50 or 60 swappers we had at one time

Greets to all the people I swapped with during that time, especially Jazz!