Fairlight TV’s latest episode offers a fascinating look at Fairlight demoscene artistry through the creation of Codeboys and Endians. The video gathers coders JackAsser, HCL, and Per Nod to recount the chaotic, funny, and deeply technical process behind their standout Commodore 64 demo from X2025.
From its quirky title—a play on “cowboys and Indians” and computer endianness—to its astonishing visual effects, Codeboys and Endians reflects Fairlight’s signature mix of precision and irreverence. The team explains how a working title snowballed into a full-blown creative challenge. They break down border tricks, intricate raster timing, and sprite multiplexing routines that stretch the C64’s limits.
The conversation reveals clever design decisions that kept the project on track. Automatic transition generation ensured smooth scene changes even under pressure. HCL’s “autopiplexor” handled sprite switching dynamically, while bitmap effects drew inspiration from Fairlight’s earlier classic Edge of Disgrace. Memory management, code compression, and synchronization were all pushed to extremes—proving that Fairlight demoscene artistry is as much about engineering ingenuity as visual style.
Humor threads through the technical chatter, showing a team that thrives on both competition and camaraderie. They laugh about last-minute fixes and the creative shortcuts that made impossible effects possible. Every coder’s section shines with personality, from Archmage’s lush graphics to Dane’s pulse-driven soundtrack.
By the end, the episode becomes more than a breakdown—it’s a celebration of collaboration under constraints. For fans of the Commodore 64 scene, this behind-the-scenes look at Fairlight demoscene artistry captures the rare energy of a team that continues to redefine what 8-bit art can achieve.
