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                            Otomata Labs presents

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_______________|   l___j   |________________ /\ ________________________________
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               |   |   |   |  ___________________________________________
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                         for NEC-PC9801VX / Epson PC-386/486
            (for the Deadline 2026 Oldskool Demo compo - Version 1.1)   

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                    +-----------------+-----------------+
                    |                 |     Artemka     |
                    |       Code      |  AnnoyedArt1256 |
                    |                 |      Natt       |
                    +-----------------+-----------------+
                    |                 |     Pacorex     |
                    |     Graphics    |      nIkO       |
                    |                 |     Grongy      |
                    +-----------------+-----------------+
                    |                 |     Chiyoko     |
                    |       Music     |                 |
                    |                 |    Abstract64   |
                    +-----------------+-----------------+
                    |                 |                 |
                    |Opening Animation|    spaztron64   |
                    |                 |                 |
                    +-----------------+-----------------+
                    |                 |     Shoutmon    |
                    |Hardware  Testing|     opna2608    |
                    |                 |    spaztron64   |
                    +-----------------+-----------------+
                    |                 |                 |
                    | NFO ASCII logo  |      Rairii     |
                    |                 |                 |
                    +-----------------+-----------------+
					
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Version history

2026/10/15 - Ver 1.1
- Replaced ZX0 compression with LZ4, bringing huge performance improvements in
the opening anim for V30 and 286 systems! Shoutouts to Trixter (Jim Leonard) for
the reference LZ4 for 8088 implementation, and trn (Jeffrey H. Johnson) for
reworking that code and helping us integrate it into the demo.
- Vastly reduced memory footprint. The demo now works on 640KB systems from a
DOS 3.30C boot disk without any memory managers!
- Various graphics bugs fixed. NEC EGCs should no longer have graphics bugs
that were not present on Epson systems.
- Several graphical effects have received a few touch-ups and aesthetic
improvements.
- Support for PC-9801-26K and other YM2203 cards! The OPNA/OPN3 is no longer
a hard requirement for music.

2026/10/03 - Ver 1.0
- Initial release
					
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NOTE:  This demo is OPEN SOURCE! The code, assets, and 3rd party code/tools are
available at https://codigo.otomatalabs.net/otomatalabs/new-horizons

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We're coming to Deadline this year with a new demo for PC-9800 series compatible
systems, featuring never before seen graphical effects on the platform at a high
640x400 resolution, fluid in-house animation, and mesmerizing synthesized music!

We hope you enjoy New Horizons and invite you to hop onto the Japanese PC frenzy
and make some stunning productions yourself!

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Tools and resources used for production:

1) Opening:

Tools:
Trimble SketchUp 2025 - Environment modeling and texturing
MetaSequoia 4.9.0f - Asset conversion (SketchUp to MMD-compatible .X accessory)
PMXEditor 0.2.7.3 - Asset editing, splitting and bone assignment post-conversion
MikuMikuDance v9.32 - Scene setup, animation, and rendering
Paint.NET 4.2.8 - Rotoscoping, illustration, coloring
Easy GIF Animator 6 Pro - 2D animation prototyping
Aseprite & Paint Shop Pro 9 - Color depth reduction, palette making, compositing

Resources:
3D Warehouse - Certain SketchUp assets: Bed, lamp, TV (royalty free)
Sketchfab - PC-9801UX model by darekagomi (CC Attribution)
bowlroll.net - Monya (Mokko-chan) by Neeshika (custom license)

All other assets were created in-house.

2) Main part:

Tools:
Aseprite 1.3.18
GIMP 3.2.4
Paint Shop Pro 9
In-house curve editor
In-house text GDC drawing tool (coming soon!)
Furnace Tracker nightly

Resources:
PureRef
Home-made video
All other assets are made in-house

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The absolute bare minimum requirements for running this demo are that of an NEC
PC-9801VX with a video RAM board and -26K sound board, meaning:
- 80286 CPU @ 10MHz or higher
- 570KB of conventional memory available
- 2.5MB of space on a hard disk
- PC-9801-26 (or PC-9801-26K) sound board, or equivalent with a YM2203 chip
- PC-9801-24 video RAM board (only needed for very early EGC-equipped machines)
- Note 1: a handful of gfx effects are known to not work correctly on NEC's EGC
silicon, and only display correctly on Epson's EGC. A fix will be released later
- Note 2: The opening is known to run slow even on machines with a 386SX-16, 
like the PC-9801ES. We believe it's caused by memory wait states.

The ideal configuration for the smoothest and intended experience is an Epson
PC-486GR+ or newer:
- 486SX CPU @ 25MHz or higher
- 570KB conventional + 1.6MB EMS or XMS available (reduces number of HDD loads)
  For EMS: PC-9801-52 is enough, but the Buffalo EMJ-4000S is recommended
- Zero wait state memory
- 2.5MB of space on a hard disk
- PC-9801-86 sound board, or equivalent with a YM2608 or YMF288 chip

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