Oh, I doubt that Jim will compromise on the quality of 3.0 after spending so much time on it. He knows that most folks won't pay for something that doesn't look as good as the hype (which is sure to come) suggests that it does. And he is an artist after all. Obviously Jim has to pick a limit to what 3.0 will look like and do. But I expect nothing less than his masterpiece, and would be shocked to find that he compromised in places that he didn't have to after he's put so much effort into it.

..... So no pressure there then, Jim. ;)

I'm WAY past feeling pressure. Just blindly trudging on until it's done.

Ok, I also want to apologise in advance for the idiot(s) who 30 minutes after downloading 3.0 will come back and ask the question:
"When will 3.1 come out?" :(

/Tiny Trudging

Apology accepted.

And here I was wanting to inquire about 4.0!

Believe me - those will pop up withing five minutes of the others as well...

Ain't that the truth.

Ah, but think of all the future fun discussing MA3 and hunting for tiny details. etc. It's been too long and I really miss it.

Sorry, Jim. I didn't mean it that way. I only expect the best because it's pretty clear that you demand the best from yourself. I would never demand the best from you. Ultimately, what you do with 3.0 is none of my business, nor would I expect you to give a hoot about any opinions I might have on the subject. It's just fun to dicuss it-- that's all. :)

Feel free to discuss it.:)

Jim I haven't been here in awhile,but I noticed you named some of the creatures that will be in the aquarium.I was surprised that these guys didn't make it:

-Masked Angel
-Pakistani Butterfly
-Reticulated Butterfly
-Spotted Scat

^Aren't these fish in most pet stores,or do you not like them for some reason?

I'm not Jim, but those are fish, not creatures. There's a fine distinction.

Jim intends to retexture some or all of the existing fish with higher res textures. I don't know if he is considering adding more fish as well.

My plan is for the MA3 to have reworked versions of the current fish when it first comes out. Two Creature Packs will be added later, with (I think) about 5 new fish and 5 other type creatures in each. I'm still open to suggestions regarding which fish will make the cut.

A Pakistani Butterfly would require higher resolution textures and texture anti-aliasing.

https://www.feldoncentral.com/Sachs/...0Butterfly.jpg

as would a Majestic Angel:
http://www.smugmug.com/photos/10525123-S.jpg
{Click for incredibly sharp image}




I'd be excited to see the addition of more black and white fish as I think they add a great look.

It's true that those fish were too high-frequency for the 64x64 textures used in the current version of the Aquarium, but MA3 will use at least 128x128 fish textures. It all depends on my being able to find them in stores and take proper pics.

Pakistani's I haven't seen that often. But, the Majestic is generally a staple in about any store at one time or the other.

Jim made a point that right now, the best part of the Aquarium are the fish. Once the background is redone, the roles will be reversed and the lack of definition in some of the fish will become evident.

Current texture sizes in Marine Aquarium 2.6:

310 x 280 transverse (1)
Clearfin Lionfish

160 x 100 transverse (4)
Blue Ring Angel
Redfin Butterfly
Red Volitans Lionfish
Rock Beauty Angel

128 x 128 (11)
Achilles Tang
Addis Butterfly
Copperbanded Butterfly
Emperor Angel
French Angel
Forceps Angel
Powder Blue Tang
Regal Tang
Squarespot Angel
Wimplefish
Yellow Tang

128 x 64 (12)
3 Stripe Damsel
Blue Chromis
Clown Trigger
Koran Angel
Flame Angel
False Percula Clown
Picasso Trigger
Purple Tang
Queen Angel
Regal Angel
Royal Gramma
Threadfin Butterfly

Textures for 5 of the fish are mounted transversely (45°). This not only makes more use of the space, but allows for higher quality fin textures. As you can see, the Clearfin Lionfish is more than twice as detailed as the Red Volitans Lionfish and really flexes its muscle on a 1600 x 1200 display. :)

To upgrade them all to 256 x 256 -- transverse or otherwise -- would be quite an undertaking! Just upgrading the dozen or so 128 x 64's would go a long way.

Jim,

How is progress on the cave going?

The cave is done, at least for now. I may give it a tune-up later, but it's not bad. Now I'm working on objects in the distance.