What makes a good cracktro great?

[taj]

I'd like to hear peoples views on this...

[Jim]

It needs a chip tune and it needs to infect you with the Lamer! virus.

Jim

[Clyde]

I dont think you can go wrong with taking these into consideration. Good design & presentation as well an original text routine. Maybe to boot, some interactivity.

[Shockwave]

It needs to have the right feeling. It needs to be coded with Emotion and if it isn't it will not be great.
There are many cracktros that are really polished, clever etc, and then there are some that are not so clever but they still have the charisma that the coder and artist and musician gave it.

I really think that this is a coders job more than anything though.

It's all about feel I think Taj.

These ones had it;













I've made a couple myself (not on this board as it's legal stuff only here, you can find them under the group name rituel at intro inferno), I really enjoyed coding them.

Mind you I am not saying my stuff is in the same league as those ones above..

[Rbz]

yeah, all those comments above and I think it needs some innovative effects too...

Here some Win32 cracktros that I like:
http://www.intro-inferno.com/production.php?id=741
http://www.intro-inferno.com/production.php?id=20
http://www.intro-inferno.com/production.php?id=6

[taj]

Ah so hitchhiker makes a good cracktro great :-)

[Ghost^BHT]

Needs to be inovative with some good gfx and a groovy tune    and as JIm said needs to infect you with lamer exterminator ! 

[benny!]

I totally agree with all of you so far.

Atmosphere

A cracktro, even if is just a legal production, should create an illegal atmosphere.
This means in the way it sounds or it is presented it should transmit the original
spirit ( i.e. underground, a criminal touch although very clever and kind of robin
hood like ). This could be done with a noisy ( but cool ) chiptune which kind of
symbolizes the underground way of creating music on the computer. Furthermore
maybe you remember the images of the cracktro by UnitA



The three men where you see no faces at all seems to be very mysterious.

Speaking of images, the logo seems to be an important part of the majority of
cracktros. Guess you cannot go wrong with a nicely designed 3D-Logo of the crew.


Design / Fx

As you said before. A good text routine is very important. Furthermore it seems
that a good cracktro shows just a few oldschool effects ( maybe just one ) but
with in a newschool technique ( hardware accelerated and so on ).
I think rbraz links show perfectly what I mean.


Tune

Old cracktros live from a noisy but catchy chiptune. I think this still counts for
modern cracktros. Maybe it is just my point of view. But I think even a modern
cracktro should have a chip-tune in it.

[taj]

Your description of atmosphere is very informative Benny! Thanks for taking the time to answer in detail like that.

[benny!]

@taj:

thank you, mate ;-)


@topic:

speaking of cracktros we may speak about the purpose of cracktros
for us. I guess the majority of this forum are into cracktros because
they consider them as art. Their characteristic differ a bit from the
normal scene intro / demo.

It focuses on the text-routine, the logo/name of the group (that's
the origin of cracktros to show who is the leading cracking force in
the scene is). This is underlined by one (or a few) effects and of
course some kewl music.

Wonder that most of todays cracktros are really used for a game-crack.
They are released for fun and for bringing back the atmosphere de-
scribed above which cannot be created by a normal intro / demo.

However, don't you think it is kind of a pity just to release those
cracktros just for no real purpose ( ok - art is a good purpose for itself )
but why not abuse them for sitros, bbs-tros and stuff
like these. Ok, there are already some sitro's - but I think there are more
cracktros released than sitros ?

What do you think about this ? Should cracktros just be released for the
sole "art" reason - or do you think it may be worth to release more sitros
or put some other lingual content in a cracktro than :

GAME NAME
cracked by
NAME OF CRACKING GROUP

[Rbz]

@Taj: Now you know everything about cracktros  go and code something to beat  this one:
Oh it's hitchhikr cracktro again... weird...

[MrP]

This is a great topic.... I remember sitting in front of my old ST (yes i know thats swearing to some on here) watching various cracktros from people like automation, and the medway boys. Jeez brings back some good memories. You've all pretty much covered the definition of a good cracktro so i'll just ask, what is it thats in some people and not others to make them appreciate whats going on? Have you ever showed someone whos not really into the scene a cracktro, intro or demo, and then tried to explain to them whats going on and why the thing they are watching has been produced only for them to look blankly at you and not get it at all..... Well I dont get it, but then i suppose these things are art and as such they will only appeal to a certain audience... I mean i cant picture myself going to an art gallery and having a good time, yet lots of people do.... Anyway rambling now so ill leave it there.....

[Ghost^BHT]

Well I guess if you grew up in the 8 bit era or later on and got into this kind of stuff I think you have a different perspective on the artistic and coding side of things that people just don't get. They see these things and say "so what" not knowing that it's all done in software and real time by talented people. It's not for everyone but that's OK.

[benny!]

Totally true ... some people ( even from the 8-Bit generation ) doesn't care about cracktros.
I guess they didn't really realize why they got a certain game copied for free by a school-mate
or so. This little intro in front - most of them even click them away immediately without knowing
what it is or without caring about.

I guess these kind of people are just into gaming and do not care what the point behind it - but
well ... this is ok - people's tastes are different ...

[Hotshot]

what good things about it? well for start....music and bob flying around and zoom in and out (wicked stuff). Oooh there was Vector bobs where lots of balls in to man where he walk then he change to hellcoper( it was in 1986 or 1989 demo I think and I am not sure)


cheers

[.:] Druid [:.]

All has been said!  For me: a good text routine + nice tune help a lot..and as it been said it's all about feeling.
It's all about design also (for me at least).

I really think we should see more of that feeling in sitetros (or so called) to advertise some underground web site (legal web sites!)...a coming contest maybe?

Some trainers today are cracktro-like:
http://www.intro-inferno.com/production.php?id=745
http://www.intro-inferno.com/production.php?id=134
Both made by Alpha One.

Now, that question came to my mind: is it possible to enjoy cracktro's for people with no amiga/atari background at all?  I honnestly doubt...maybe that hype is just because we're a bunch of old farts?

[Ghost^BHT]

Yep  Cracktro's + Amiga or Atari = Oldfart 

[Shockwave]

Alpha One makes a good cracktro great.