Accolyte

Accolyte Interview                            

Profile                                                                         
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    HANDLE: Accolyte                                                            
       AGE: 19                                                                  
  COMPUTER: A1200/030, A500                                                     
     GROUP: Cydonia                                                             
                                                                                
WHEN DID YOU START CODING?                                                      
                                                                                
I first started when I was 11, and just beginning highschool with a top-of-the-line Microbee 16 :)   As if that wasn't bad enough, this one had NO storage device and a power-supply that'd cut out after two hours (You A500+floppy guys think you have it bad - try handwriting out your source with an icepack melting over the psu :) )           
                                                                                
Anyway, soon after I owned my first C64 (a monumental computer, may it live forever), which I had for nearly 3 years, writing in C64 BASIC
I was starting to become very keen on assembly when my Amiga 500 came along! Wow!                                                                     
                                                                                
After taking a look at AmigaBASIC, <cringe> I soon found myself in the local Games Wizards holding a copy of AMOS in one hand and AssemPro in the other
I'm extremely glad I made the right decision :) Unfortunately, I didn't know anyone else at the time who programmed, so the process was long and arduous
Still, I have to say it was worth it
It's really only in the last year though, having bought a modem, that I can say I've coded anything really worthwhile
Look forward to some great stuff in the near future :)                                                                       

WHY DID YOU GET INTO CODING?                                                    

I can't really say what it was that first sparked my interest, but computers were a new thing when I was growing up
I still remember magic of the 64
       
What really inspired me to program, was reading the "Diary Of A Game" articles in the English 64 mags
I got into demo coding on the other hand, because Krion made me get into it :)                                                    
                                                                                
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO CODE SOMETHING?                                           

Seeing something I like, and that I *know* I can improve on really inspires me
                                                                    
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS FROM?                                               

Seeing other games and demos, and then thinking about the things I'd like to make better or change about them
Experimentation also goes a long way
      
WHAT'S THE HARDEST THING YOU'VE EVER HAD TO CODE?                               
                                                                                
There's nothing yet I could tell you I'm really proud of, but there is a few things coming around the corner shortly
Oh actually, I was working on a scrolly platform game for the 64 when my Amiga came along, that was pretty damn hard

AND THE EASIEST THING YOU'VE HAD TO CODE?                                       

Hahaha... all of the high-school computing projects :)  Oh, you mean scene-wise; well, I'll have to let you know after a couple of releases :)     
                                                                                
NAME THE 3 BEST CODERS IN AUSTRALIA                                             
                                                                                
I have a lot of respect for Krion and Storm, but I haven't been in the scene long enough to say much about anyone else
                                                                                
AND OVERSEAS?                                                                
                                                                                
I can't really say
There's quite a few I like a lot, but many more I've yet to recognise properly, so I reserve judgement for the time being

NAME THE WORST CODER IN AUSTRALIA?                                              
                                                                                
Hmm, I think I'll call him "Rex"
                                               
NAME THE 3 BEST MUSICIANS IN AUSTRALIA?                                         
                                                                                
Kitsune is great
Unfortunately it seems someone bit him, and he won't be composing much for the scene anymore :)  I also like Drift and Serkul of Cydonia, although sadly Drift decided to pack it in for a while

AND THE 3 BEST MUSICIANS OVERSEAS?                                           
                                                                                
In no particular order, Jester/Sanity, AudioMonster/TSL, Moby/SanityIThink, and XTD/TheEntirePolishDemoScene
I'm only going by a few examples of each of their music, but these guys are extremely talented

HEY THAT'S FOUR!                                                                
                                                                                
Bite me :)  Oh, and I just have to mention Jogeir too
I can't help but respect someone that can produce high-quality music in such volume
             
OOKAY, HOW ABOUT THE 3 BEST GRAPHICIANS OVERSEAS?                               
                                                                                
I know there's some damn good artists out there, but I'd have to look a little more closely at them before I could make up my mind

AND THE 3 BEST IN AUSTRALIA?                                                 

First is Souri - his style is unmatched, and I'm Amazed by how much this guy can do with ECS! Somebody *please* buy him a 1200 and he'll kick even more butt :)  Next I'd definately have to say Infinity, who has been shocking us with some excellent pics lately; I think he should definately get some sleep soon :)                                                                   
                                                                                
Okay, now this is starting to sound like an ad for Cydonia, but what can        
I say - we're just rad :)  3rd has to be either Snykers or CoolCat
It's hard to be more definate because I haven't seen much of their work yet
         
From what I have seen though, the talent is definately among the best
          
<makes a note: "Hassle CoolCat and Snykers until they show me some of their earlier pics">                                                                  
                                                                                
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOU SOMEONE THAT WANTS TO LEARN TO CODE?             
                                                                                
Get a modem
No, now
Talking to an experienced coder can teach you things at 10 times the speed you'd learn them otherwise
Problem-solving is a great skill, but there's no need to reinvent the wheel, Unless of course, you can make that wheel turn faster :)                                  
                                                                                
WHAT LANGUAGE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO A BEGINNER?                                
                                                                                
It really depends on what their goal is, and how confident they are
            
A simple BASIC language is great for teaching you fundamentals that can be applied anywhere - but it has to be learned with a view to moving on to a better language sometime
                                        
If you're feeling sure of yourself, you could try jumping into assembly, feet first
Get a few good books (watch out for typos!), a decent assembler and editor (I recommend Devpac and Cygnus Ed), and most importantly, find other people to talk to about coding
                
                                                                                
Don't expect to be spoon-fed everything, but if they can see you making an effort, most coders are willing to help out with any problems you may have

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THESE SO-CALLED PROGRAMS LIKE AMOS, BLITZBASIC ETC,ETC? ARE THEY ANY GOOD?                                                     

(Well I have no doubt that they actually are programs :) )                    
They can't compare to assembly and never will, but I think they can be a good stepping-stone for beginners, because they give feedback much more quickly than assembly does
Actually on second thought, I would say the above when talking about C64 BASIC, or other simple BASIC's too
                
                                                                                
I think it's a mistake though, when people start taking high-level languages too seriously - if you want to write games, you can use one for a little while to get some experience; but sooner or later you really should learn something quicker
If you want to write demos, it might be an idea to skip them altogether - it's pretty hard to practise optimising in a high-level language :)                                          

WHAT DO YOU THINKOF ESCOM BEING THE NEW OWNERS OF THE AMIGA?                    
                                                                                
I think it's great that *someone* is backing the Amiga again, I just hope that they make the right choices
You have a brilliant opportunity here Escom, make it the best computer that you possibly can!                    

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GIVE THEM IF THEY WANTED TO LISTEN TO WHAT        

1,1,YOU HAD TO SAY?                                                                 
                                                                                
Don't try copy the other platforms just for the sake of conforming
The Amiga's individuality is what makes it so special
And for christ's sake.. ADVERTISE!!!!!!                                                                 
                                                                                
WHAT TYPE OF COMPUTER WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE COME OUT?                           
                                                                                
A new Amiga with an 060 as a base, and slots for a number of RISC co-processors
An updated custom chipset which can be switched in software to use an external graphics card, and 16 bit sound support

IF YOU GOT ALL THE BEST CODERS AROUND THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD YOU CODE?           

Many, many, top quality games and demos :)                                      
                                                                                
IF THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY BEFORE WE END THIS INTERVIEW?      
                                                                                
Two points
                                                                     
                                                                                
1) I still get asked (and even corrected) from time, so in case you're wondering, yes, it's meant to be spelt like that ;)                          
                                                                                
2) I'd really like to see some more action in the Australian scene! There's a couple of new groups that will be making an appearance shortly. Great luck, I hope to see something from you soon :)