Marijn Haverbeke's 2012 JS1k winning entry, "Bouncing Beholder," is a concise JavaScript demo that fits within 1 kilobyte. It features a 3D rendering of the iconic Beholder monster from Dungeons & Dragons, smoothly rotating and bouncing off the edges of the canvas. The demo utilizes clever optimizations and mathematical shortcuts to achieve the 3D effect and animation within the tight size constraint, showcasing efficient coding and creative use of limited resources.
The "Subpixel Snake" video demonstrates a technique for achieving smooth, subpixel-precise movement of a simple snake game using a fixed-point integer coordinate system. Instead of moving the snake in whole pixel increments, fractional coordinates are used internally, allowing for smooth, seemingly subpixel motion when rendered visually. The technique avoids floating-point arithmetic for performance reasons, relevant to the target platform (likely older or less powerful hardware). Essentially, the game maintains higher precision internally than what is displayed, creating the illusion of smoother movement.
HN users largely praised the Subpixel Snake game and its clever use of subpixel rendering for smooth movement. Several commenters discussed the nostalgic appeal of such games, recalling similar experiences with old Nokia phones and other limited-resolution displays. Some delved into the technical aspects, explaining how subpixel rendering works and its limitations, while others shared their high scores or jokingly lamented their wasted time playing. The creator of the game also participated, responding to questions and sharing insights into the development process. A few comments mentioned similar games or techniques, offering alternative approaches to achieving smooth movement in low-resolution environments.
Summary of Comments ( 6 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42932137
Commenters on Hacker News largely praised the "Bouncing Beholder" demo for its impressive technical achievement within the 1k size limit. Several noted the clever use of techniques like sine waves and bitwise operations to create the animation and sound effects. Some recalled the nostalgic appeal of demoscene culture and the technical ingenuity it fostered. A few discussed the evolution of JavaScript and browser capabilities since 2012, highlighting how challenging such a demo would have been at the time. The creator even chimed in to answer questions about the development process and optimization tricks used, sharing further insight into the intricacies of the code.
The Hacker News post discussing the winning JS1k entry "Bouncing Beholder" from 2012 has a modest number of comments, offering a mix of praise and technical analysis.
Several commenters express admiration for the demo's smooth animation and impressive visual effects achieved within the 1k size limit. They highlight the clever use of techniques like sine wave manipulation and bitwise operations to create the beholder's movement and appearance. One user specifically notes the effective use of "integer math trickery" and minimal code to achieve a complex visual effect. The author, Marijn Haverbeke (creator of CodeMirror, ProseMirror and Acorn), participates in the thread, responding to questions and sharing insights into the development process. For instance, he explains how he used a pre-golfed version during development and then applied minification and compression techniques to fit within the 1k constraint.
A few comments delve into the technical aspects of the demo. One commenter questions the scoring mechanism of JS1k, wondering if the compressed size should be the primary metric or if the readability of the uncompressed code should also be considered. This sparks a small discussion about code golfing techniques and the trade-offs between size and maintainability.
Another commenter discusses the challenges of creating such intricate demos within the tight size limit, mentioning the need for careful planning and optimization. They also appreciate the author's willingness to share the source code, allowing others to learn from his techniques. Someone points out the clever use of
withstatement (although considered bad practice in normal coding), showcasing how it can be useful in code golfing scenarios to save precious bytes.Overall, the comments on the Hacker News post demonstrate an appreciation for the technical skill and creativity involved in creating the "Bouncing Beholder" demo. They provide a glimpse into the mindset of code golfers and the challenges they face in pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved within strict size limitations. While not a lengthy discussion, the comments offer valuable insights into the development process and the technical cleverness of the demo.