Legends of the Commodore 64 & Amiga scene

Handle: Waveform

Real name:  John Kaiser

Country: USA

Date of death: 23/04/1997

Waveform passed away due to complications from Hodgkin’s Disease (cancer).

On IRC he could always be found on EFnet #Waveland

John worked on his game Venturia under the Stallion Software label.

from the Wavestorm (c64) 1997 tribute to Waveform by Millenium members

wavestorm

this is one of the many un-completed
works of john kaiser (waveform), who
has touched so many hearts in the
ntsc demo scene with enthusiasm and
friendship in a life cut way too
short. it seems so wrong that we can
live a life of so many years and not
have shown others the warmth and joy
that he showed us all in the short
time he had.

of my friend, i can only say this,
may the existance you’ve gone to
give you more than we were able to.
cset: waveform
code: waveform
tune: roy batty
press space for wavestorm

A text from Driven c64 magazine  “Waveform” Tribute

farewell, my friend
john “waveform” kaiser you will never,
ever be forgotten.

april 23rd, 1997
waveform has be en taken from us… let’s cry no more tears, for the tears that we cry are

for ourselves and our loss … instead
, let’s celebrate the hapiness wave gave
us while he was with us, for that’s wh

at he’d want…
let’s be thankful we
were priveleged… he was our friend…
let’s be thankful for the gifts he bestowed
upon us while he was here..
let’s continue to share these gifts.. for it’s

with these very gifts that he’ll always be with us.
may we *always* remember our friend.

– zig –

A text from The Waveform special edition issue of Disc=overy

__ _____
`–‘ / _ \ _/\ /\_ __ _
: : __ | | | | \ \ / / /\_\ __
| ||__| | | |__| \ \ / / \/_/_
___| | __ ______ | | _____ __\__\ /__/___ ______ __ ___
/ _| || | / _| || ||____// _ \\ // _| | / _| || | / /
| | | || || |_|__|| ||____\ | | |\ /| | | || | | || | / /
| | | || |`\___ \ | | __ | | | | \/ | |_|__|| | |__|| | / /
| | | || |.–. | || | | || | | | | | .–.| | | |/ /
| || || || || |\ /| || | | / /
`\___|__||__|`\_____/’`\_____/’`\_____/’ \/ `\_____/’| | `\/ / :
: _ _ __ __|__|______/ / \ |
\ | …the Journal of the Commodore Enthusiast _ __ ____________/ \ | /
\|/ August 28, 1997 |__| \|/
-=+————————————————————————-+=-
/|\ .: /\_/\_: Special Edition 1 /\_/\_ /|\
/ | \ /\\ / \_\- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ /\\ / \_\ / | \
: .:. \ … / <– ..En eterno descanso.. –> \ … / .:. :

–Logo by Wendell “WaD” Davis III

P R E A M B L E
Welcome to this special issue of disC=overy, the Journal of the Commodore
Enthusiast. This one is dedicated to John Kaiser (AKA Waveform), a coding
dynamo and good friend to the NTSC C64 demo scene. John passed away
last April, but his works live on. This edition presents a compilation of
his best efforts for the enjoyment of all C64 fans worldwide.

– Mike Gordillo

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::::::::::::::::::::::T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S:::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-Software Section-

/S01 – “The Collected Works of John Kaiser”
$WAVE by XmikeX

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/S01::$WAVE:::::::::::::::::::S O F T W A R E:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Collected Works of John Kaiser (aka Waveform)

by XmikeX
This article includes the best of John Kaiser’s creations for the C64.
(One special jewel, Venturia, makes its public debut here). All files
have been uuencoded for ease of transmission and require uudecoding into
executable C64 binaries. A short description of the files, as seen below,
is followed by the uuencoded versions.
disc-demo
———

The disC=overy demo was first published in disC=overy, issue 2, along
with accompanying article — a tutorial on 2D rotation. In its original
release, it was split up into several files. It is presented here as a
single, fully packed, executable file.
vectorwave
———-

Vectorwave initially found itself into a millenium demo. Further plans
included using it in a follow-up to the disc-demo expose’ on rotation
techniques. It is presented here as executable and source.
waveness 1 and 2
—————-

Waveness 1 was John’s first public C64 demo. Waveness 2 included a
morphing sequence whose data was derived from an x86 PC program, but the
result was all C64 :).
wavestorm.mlm
————-

Wavestorm was John’s last C64 demo page. It was either going to be a
stand-alone demo or bundled in an MLM production. Unfortunately, John
never got to finish it. As a bit of trivia, I can claim credit for its
name, as John indulged my suggestion of “Wavestorm” in deferrence to the
kind of thunderous impact a ‘Waveform demo’ should make :). This version
of Wavestorm has been enhanced by Roy Batty/MLM, and originally released
by Roy Batty/MLM.
XwaveX
——

The XwaveX demo was part of the 1996 NTSC 4k contest and named after
yours truly for reasons mentioned in the demo :).
Venturia
——–

Venturia is an Ultima-style game that John was working on since at least
1993 (when I first met him). I first saw Venturia only a few months
before his passing, about 3-4 years into development. The long term scale
of this project was simply due to “real-world” concerns which got in the
way of his programming. However, despite having little time to work on
this game, there is a level of sophistication in Venturia that could
easily make one believe it is a finished product.

Venturia documentary (brief)
—
Please note that “venturia-intro” is a standalone introduction file. It will
not chain “venturia_snap”, which is the boot file for Venturia. Load and run
“venturia_snap” to start the game.

The documentation on Venturia, following the (C)opyright disclaimer, was
originally provided by John via email. As far as I know, this is the only
documentation for the program that is available. It must be stressed that
John never finished Venturia and therefore options illustrated may or
may not work as intended.

Remember, Venturia is (C)opyright 1993-1997 John Kaiser (AKA Waveform). It is
NOT in the public domain. The following stipulations concerning distribution
apply (from the estate of J. Kaiser) :

A) Venturia may only be copied and distributed in its entirety, unchanged.
Under NO conditions shall it be modified or incorporated into other works.

B) Venturia may only be copied and distributed freely, without charge.
Under NO conditions shall it be distributed for the purposes of sale NOR
shall it be distributed on any media: electronic, magnetic, print, or
otherwise upon which receipt of said media involves either a monetary fee,
credit charge, handling and shipping charge, or participation in a barter
system.
—

about the game  “Venturia” Game which  Waveform coded but haven’t finished due to his illness .

A sad tale for this unfinished RPG game.

This was in development by Waveform in the 90’s, but sadly the game’s creator John Kaiser died in April 23, 1997 due to Hodgekin’s Lymphoma. John left behind this very title which was released into the world by XmikeX. XmikeX was a friend of Waveform and released the remains on August 28, 1997, through disC=overy magazine. It was embedded within the magazine text as a UUEncoded sfx file.  Jon Mines recently confirmed that the game was to be published under the Stallion Software label had John finished it.

According to rumours, all of John’s source disks and hardware were given to another C64 scener, which may be Roy Batty.. though there is news of Ernest Stokes having some disks and hardware. This was brought up due to the possibility of someone finishing what is excellent work by John.

                    Driven 22 - May 8, 1997


Ho! Sleeping creatures awake... wipe the remnants of yesterday's all
night coding session from your eyes... Filthy pigs cannot hold us back,
and indeed, Driven #22 is here!

The scene lives, more or less? Perhaps in the middle it stays, so far
this year, but dealt a serious wound with the loss of a talented scener.
Remember him, lest you think to say "it can wait til tomorrow"... no
matter what  "it" is.

This issue fortells plenty of news about upcoming NTSC events that may
promise to pick up the activity levels over summer. Next up is an
interview with Suraklin/Millenium _- another newcomer star in the NTSC
scene. Words direct from the X'97 organizors about this year and next;
details about Arkanix Labs' ambitious product offering for '97 and '98;
dissertation from the master of concept demos himself, Roy Batty, on
theme in demos; and the usual other selection of texts fill out this
issue.

It's that time again that I claim I hate craptalking and therefore
search a replacement... Always up to the task, and even in the midst of
very sad times, is Coolhand with "A Time to Pause...":

There is something different now...

For most of us, our lives are pretty routine and predictable, filled to
overflowing with things that must get done. Work. School. Eating.
Sleeping. Bills to pay. The future to plan for. If we are very well
organized or just plain lucky, we have time "left over" for more fun
things - sports, entertainment, hobbies.

For some of us this includes precious little time with C64 activities.
Most of us reading this editorial are connected with the C64 in some
way, to varying degrees, in the past and/or the present. And most of us
plan to continue (or hopefully increase) those C64 activities.

But there is something different now...

When I start to do something related to the C64 now, I pause for a
moment and think about someone who loved some of the same C64 activities
that I do... someone who worked tirelessly on his C64 projects, but who
would always had time to help others... someone who is no longer here
with us to carry on further the future of the C64. That someone is
Waveform.

On the morning of April 23, 1997, John Kaiser, aka Waveform, passed away
in Bellingham, WA, after a long and courageous battle with Hodgkin's
Disease, a battle that few even knew was going on. Until the end was
very near, John never let his condition daunt his energetic quest to
advance his own knowledge and proficiency of C64 coding and his desire
and goal to increase the strength and size of the C64 scene. He, in
fact, only started this portion of his life's journey halfway through
his battle with this disease.

In his effort to promote the growth of the C64 scene that he so dearly
loved (second only, I believe, to his love for his fiancee, LadyG),
Waveform shared his continually growing knowledge with anyone and
everyone who asked questions of him, and he would encourage them to keep
at it, try a little harder, never give up. John never wanted to give up.

Like his scene personality, John Kaiser pursued all aspects of life with
the same vigor and enthusiasm that he displayed on IRC when talking with
all his "buds" (male and female alike). While never having the chance to
meet John in person, I was at least privileged to talk to him voice many
times and on IRC for numerous "query" conversations. Hardly ever was he
doing only one thing at a time. Two computers running, a telephone in
his hand, the laundry going, dinner cooking; this was typical activity
during most of those dialogs. And in those moments, I could sense and
experience the vitality of his being, the depth of his convictions, the
restlessness with which he pursued his journey into the future.

John's journey has now ended... far too abruptly... far too prematurely.

But while his journey has ended, ours have only paused... paused for a
brief respite to reflect and take inventory on our journeys and how they
have been affected by John's life.

And in his way, a portion or John's journey will not have ended. A
portion of it, a large portion in fact, will continue on and live in our
hearts and memories and in the scene activities that he so loved and
which we carry out in his place. A portion of John's heart and soul - as
big as they were - will live on in each of us that knew him and remember
him.

As a tribute to the life of John Kaiser - Waveform - and in honor of all
that he did for the C64 demo scene, Driven will soon publish a Special
Edition, for which all readers are invited and encouraged to
participate. We want to celebrate the joy of his life here and what it
meant to us. And in this way continue on with our life's journey, taking
with us a part of his.

There IS something different now... something VERY different.

Someone is no longer here with us - in the same way he was before. And
our lives and the C64 scene will never be quite the same.

But as he would most certainly want, we must recognize that John's death
is only a brief hesitation in our journey, not a permanent stop. A time
to pause... to remember... to incorporate a part of his journey into
ours.. and then to move on... toward the future. Thus, a part of that
someone will not die, but will always be with us.

John, thank you for being a special "someone" in our lives.

Waveform/Millenium

---

Prologue: Waveform, aka John Kaiser, died in Bellingham, Washington, on the morning of April 23, 1997, after a long battle with Hodgkin’s disease. We hope that these words that John wrote only a few months ago will continue to inspire those who read them.

---

Bio-Greetings from the Wave.

I am 23 years old. I grew up in Spokane, Washington and moved out on my own to Seattle, Washington when I was 17. I currently live in Bellingham, Washington, but will return to Seattle sometime in the next couple of years.

I love the Eagles, Journey, Reo Speedwagon, Foreigner, and virtually all the music from the 1980’s.

I think Reagan was the best President of our century, Rush Limbaugh is the closest thing this country has to a politcal Superman, and laughed when Quayle mispelled potato, though stood with him on the family values issues.

I am a straight white male who starts and ends everyday by thanking God for being alive, and thanking God for the most wonderful woman in the world: my future wife Staci.

I like Miller Geniune Draft beer but can never tell if I like it because it’s less filling, or because it tastes great.

I grew up on Transformers and Starblazers. I thought that C64 games of Transformers sucked and always wished for a nifty C64 game of Starblazers.

I love playing with Commdore 64 and 128s. I have a whole closet of Commodore stuff. I like the simplicity of the hardware, and the simple assembly instruction set. I firmly believe that myself and other Commodore freaks will be alive and well and producing on this machine well into the next decade.

My Commodores lives their lives at 60Hz, and so do I. I have made it my personal mission to have as much fun as possible in the NTSC scene and will do what I can to put as much life and energy into it as possible.

Space Needle Hellos go out to my partners in code: Millenium members Roy Batty and Fungus.

28.8 connection greets go out to Style, Electron, Foe, as well as XmikeX, Dr Ray, and QT.

A diamond ring goes out to LadyG/honorary member of Millenium. =)

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   \ `\___x___/\ \__/.\_\\ \___/ \ \____\\ \_\\ \____/\ \_\ \ \_\ \_\ \_\
    '\/__//__/  \/__/\/_/ \/__/   \/____/ \/_/ \/___/  \/_/  \/_/\/_/\/_/

Sources for this tribute :
1. Driven Waveform Tribute (c64) 1997:

http://csdb.dk/release/?id=138255

2. The Waveform special edition issue of Disc=overy  (c64):

http://www.ntscene.com/archive/index.php?dir=magazines/Discovery/&file=Disc%3DoverySpecialEdition%231.zip

3. Venturia Game by John Kaiser which wasn’t released from GTW64 website

http://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/venturia/

4. The editorial from Driven 22 about his passing

http://drivenonline.org/classic/classic_contentcdfd.html?cid=articles/d22edt

5. His bio at the Driven website

http://drivenonline.org/classic/classic_contentdf8a.html?cid=bios/wave

you can read more about his C64 activity here:

http://csdb.dk/scener/?id=1092

Thanks very much to MOLOCH for helping with the valuable information about Waveform and supporting this 

memorial page

rest in peace John…