A new coding contest challenges developers to fit an entire game onto a 1.44MB floppy disk

[Alfonso Maruccia]

The big picture: Thanks to ongoing problems in the microchip supply chain, PC hardware has become prohibitively expensive for many enthusiasts. Game developers may eventually have to adapt to this new reality by optimizing their software instead of expecting customers to upgrade aging hardware. Optimization is also essential in game development competitions, where resourceful programmers can earn prize money by creating a complete game within an extremely small package.

Korean website 2P Game Arcade recently launched a new "1.44MB Game Dev Contest." The challenge is simple: developers must create an entire game that fits on a single floppy disk. The maximum file size is 1,474,560 bytes, matching the capacity of the 3.5-inch high-density floppy disks commonly used with IBM-compatible PCs in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The 2P Game Arcade team specializes in organizing game development competitions in which developers from around the world compete against one another. The new 1.44MB contest began a few weeks ago and will accept submissions until October 4. Anyone can participate, the organizers said, as long as every byte counts and the standard 1.44MB IBM PC floppy disk capacity is not exceeded.

According to the official website, 2P Game Arcade previously organized a 100-kilobyte game development competition in 1997. That makes the new contest somewhat more generous in terms of storage, although the 1,474,560-byte limit must still be respected even after asset decompression. There are no restrictions on the game engine, so participants are free to use existing tools or develop their own engine to meet the challenge.

All games submitted to the 1.44MB contest must be original, newly developed projects and distributed as standalone executable files. Browser-based games are explicitly prohibited, and entries may be created by either a solo developer or a team.

2P Game Arcade plans to award three winners based on how well they meet the contest's objectives. Prizes range from 72 million Korean won (about $48,650) to 14.4 million won (roughly $9,730). Winners will also reportedly receive a physical floppy disk containing their game.

During the heyday of the demoscene, code optimization and creativity were paramount. Programmers competed by creating ultra-compact graphics demos and procedurally generated games such as .kkrieger, while modern projects inspired by the demoscene, such as QUOD, remain relatively rare. As PC hardware becomes increasingly expensive, the art of code optimization is becoming relevant again – not just for demo competitions.

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A new coding contest challenges developers to fit an entire game onto a 1.44MB floppy disk

 

[NumberNine]

As PC hardware becomes increasingly expensive, the art of code optimization is becoming relevant again – not just for demo competitions.

It's always been relevant. Developers just decided it was too much work when they had the option of shipping as is and telling users to upgrade, essentially offloading their development costs. Always more profits, never the same, never less. Anything else is unacceptable.

 

[MarkHughes]

"As PC hardware becomes increasingly expensive, the art of code optimization is becoming relevant again"

As a developer I can say that it has always been relevant, But you have to give the coders time to actually do it, That's on the people managing a project.

 

[TheBigT42]

In my c64 days I had multiple games on a SINGLE side of a DD 5.25 floppy (about 150 to 180 kb)

 

[hojnikb]

Tehnically, format optimized floppy will be closer to ~2MB, not 1.44MB. 1.44MB is just standard DOS formatting. Even microsoft used exteded format to need less floppies back in the day.

 

[MarkHughes]

Tehnically, format optimized floppy will be closer to ~2MB, not 1.44MB. 1.44MB is just standard DOS formatting. Even microsoft used exteded format to need less floppies back in the day.

Add on top of that compression... I recall some coverdisks on my Amiga having about 1.2mb on the 880k disk, Thanks to some formatting as you say and then compression. What was nice about compression on the floppy is that it could improve load times as decompression could be faster than reading the data.

 

[ZedRM]

Thinking back to all of the very excellent games that came out of the 8bit & 16bit era of gaming and I think to myself: 1.44MB is plenty of space to make an excellent game!
Examples you ask?
All of the NES Dragon Warrior games can fit on a single floppy disk, with room to spare.
All 3 of the first Final Fantasy games can fit on a single floppy disk, with room to spare.
Final Fantasy 4 can fit on a single floppy disk, with room to spare.
All 4 of the first 8bit Super Mario games can fit on a single floppy disk, with room to spare.
Super Mario World can fit on a single floppy disk, with room to spare.
All 3 of the first Sonic games can each fit a floppy disk, with room to spare.
All 3 of the first Legend of Zelda games can fit on a single floppy disk, with room to spare.
All 3 of the Gameboy Color Zelda games could can each fit on a single floppy disk, with room to spare.

Are we sensing a theme?
Many of the greatest games ever made, fit within the 1.44MB space a standard floppy disc offers.
Storage space is a limit. It's a limit that creative thinking and programing can overcome.

 

[ZedRM]

Tehnically, format optimized floppy will be closer to ~2MB, not 1.44MB. 1.44MB is just standard DOS formatting. Even microsoft used exteded format to need less floppies back in the day.

This is true. With creative formatting a floppy can contain a reliable 1.81MB space, but that is not the standard that this challenge contest has defined.