That would mean moving every pixel of the background - an incredible resource hog. Frame rates would plummet and processor use would skyrocket.

Actually, rippling effects on the background can be done very cheaply with GPU effects. If there is one thing a graphics card can do incredibly fast, it's move pixels around (on the order of billions of pixels per second even on older GeForce cards).

A particle system could be used to create squares of random sizes which displace the background by a few pixels The direction that those particles flow determines the direction of your water current.

Games have been doing heat rippling off hot pavement or off a fire source for years now and I believe it is done in the GPU.

I am not even saying MA3 should have this feature, only that it is certainly possible without a huge "CPU tax" by bitblitting sections of the background in random directions by 1-2 pixels or a fraction of a pixel and then blurring the result.

Probably a low priority thing though...

to be honest, just an option to have that would be a good thing for those people who use multi monitors and cannot have the scrolling then that would eliminate the possibility of screen burn from the background!

I have substantial doubt that we could find anybody with multiple CRT monitors or multiple Plasma monitors. And LCD monitors don't have a screen burn problem.

Technically true. With LCD's, it's called "screen persistence" and is caused by a different mechanism.

http://compreviews.about.com/od/moni.../LCDBurnIn.htm

As it so happens, I have two identical Viewsonic 19" monitors, one of which displays this problem and the other one does not. Overall, the problem is not as serious as CRT burn-in since it can be corrected relatively easily but it is definitely annoying.

yes , but a dual or quad core processor and a vga under 8800gt can have the necessary power to display this . And it can be this option "off" by default , but the user can use this if the hardware is enough powerful to do this.


Mod Note: Had to strip out all the MS Word codes.

Listening to Music!
 

Ahhhh... Finally! Jim, I now hear music from a playlist. Finally got around to a fresh install of WinXP and music now plays.

When are those clams coming? I'm getting hungry :)

Hi Jim
As a (very) amateur artist I know it's important to be given credit for your work. I distinctly remember you signing your name in version 2.6 in the lower left hand corner (in the gravel) of the tank. However in version 3.0 there is no signature. How come? If anybody deserves credit for this awesome effort it's you.

It will be there, I just haven't had time to put it in yet. Can you imagine the outcry if I announced that the clam animation would be delayed while I worked on my signature? :)

Just wanted to say Jim you have done a great deal of improvement over previuos versions of MA. Glad to back at the forum its been a few years. Now I have a better computer your work on this project is awesome! Noticed the fish seem to look as if they are searching for food. It would be cool if they could pick a piece of gravel from the bottom and spit it out. Great job!, It just keeps getting better, and better. No problems.

Scott,

Welcome to the forums and I know Jim is hoping to do fish pecking at coral, etc. :) The next thing we should be seeing is the clams opening and closing I hope. :)

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/9499/welcome38gk.gif to the forums.

I've been away from the forum for quite some time and come back to find a new version coming soon. Very exciting. I took a quick look and all I can say is AWESOME. Jim, thank you for your dedication, hard work, and always standing by your principles to produce a realistic and beautiful work of art.

Long time newbie
 

Have been a fan of this screen saver for many years and given it to many friends. I look forward to the finished version of 3.

The finishing touch I would like is the engraved clock then of course as Tatoo would say "The Clams The Clams" then on to the fish packages.

It's on the list.

How are the Clams progressing Jim?, Any updates on the "fake" look you mentioned?

We have a Clams Progress thread, but I'll say here that I've made a lot of progress over the last couple of days. They are still pretty ragged, but not looking too bad. Shouldn't be long now.

I'm guessing - no later than, say, October, then? ;)

I'd guess closer, maybe 2 to 4 weeks.

I'd guess closer.

Today?

Probably not. There's still a lot of cleanup to be done, and it is labor-intensive. However, they are working rather well - closing when a fish gets near, then slowly opening.

just stopping by to say that MA3 is working great on my Asus Eeepc 1000HE.

-first impression is a bit dark...its the netbooks graphics...not the aquarium itself coz it fine on my desktop running on 8800GTX displayed on a Dell 24 ultrasharp.

-I bet Jim and his team are peeing in their pants in excitement...I know I am.

-I noticed that there are no more clipping on the corrals...I guess you guys fixed it.

-I like the crystal MA3, its readable and crisp.

-the music is so soothing....I'm getting sleepy....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

good luck on launch, I'll have my old MA2 CD-ROM ready for the discount.:TU:

Launched a couple of months ago. Go buy it.

Not quite sure what "clipping on the corals" means.

I love this program - it's running on my Dell Inspiron laptop with no problems (sorry I don't have enough knowledge to find out what my graphics card is, etc). I think it's a great achievement... I originally looked for an aquarium screen saver, but this is so nice I can't wait for the timed screensaver to kick in, so I start the program and spend half my time at the computer just gazing at it! My cats are more than interested too - they try and pat the fish on the screen :lol:

I have bought the full version now, but I have a question - what happens when a new version of the beta comes out? Do I have to uninstall and reinstall?

Jim, you sound so dedicated and talented, and you have every reason to be really proud of this :D I can't wait to see all the new features you're planning.

I'm guessing he means pass-throughs. But the tidy-up on that is coming after the improved fish models, isn't it? Unless I'm going doolally. Again. :)

Sophie - Each new version just replaces the previous version. No need to uninstall.

Sophie, watch for when we announce a new version at serenescreen. Those are the ones you want to install over your bought and paid for version. the Betas you will find here are ones we are testing for Jim. Those have expiration dates and will quit working, the serenescreen versions will not.

Also you don't need to delete anything, just go back to serenescreen and get the newest version and install it. It will overwrite and add all the new stuff to the version you have without you needing to do anything else.

So, can I take part in the beta testing too, and experience the new things as they come out (also reporting any odd things that happen) or is it best to wait now until the final version is released?

That's totally up to you.

Testing can be fun, it can also cause problems with your computer system that may or may not be serious. That decision is one only you can make.

If something goes wrong we can try to help you fix it, but there are no guarantees.......

Hi Sophie. Welcome to the forum. Beta testing is fun. Why don't you try it with us. You'll like it.

Also, check out this thread...
Cat Herding Video Contest
I made $50 bucks! Maybe you can get $100! :)

There is no reason why you cannot download each new Beta as it comes. That is what we are all doing.

The only reason to stick to the Installer-only version is if you don't want to deal with possible bugs. It sounds like you would rather try new things out.


If you want to receive a notification every time a new version of the Aquarium comes out, follow this link and set yourself up for e-mail notification:
https://www.feldoncentral.com/forums...ription&t=4385

Hmmm - thanks for your advice, guys. I'm in two minds - the aquarium is so exciting and I want to be part of its continued development, but if anything goes wrong with my computer system I'm completely clueless as to how to fix it! I expect I won't be able to resist testing new versions as they come out, but if anything goes wrong I'll back out and wait for the official release. (And hope someone kind takes pity on me and helps me fix whatever broke!) Clams for example - I have to see those when they're ready!!! And I have a secret hope for some sea-horses one day :-)

I don't think anyone's had any problems more serious than some other program not working perfectly while the aquarium is running, I certainly wouldn't worry about it causing any harm, as that's extremely unlikely...
John

Problems in Paradise, just bought a Flybook V5 www.flybook.com beautifull but ....... MA3 is not working right, all the fish leave traces of there image. A little while ago I had a simular problem on the right site. Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset.
All the other machines still working great but really looking forward to the new fish.

Isabeau

Not to scare Sophie.. it is fun:TU: and at this stage very unlikely to upset any part of your computer.. But.. it was quite possible to crash ones system in the early stages.. depending of course on how extensively (read silly) one wanted to test it:D

Isabeau I had the same problem of fish trails with Nvidia 7600 GT graphics card. Problem was cured updating the graphics display driver. My old display diver was only 1 yr. out of date. It seems Ma3 needs current display drivers to work properly.

Isabeau:
http://www.flybook.com/index.php/en/...714101364.html

Here are the latest graphics drivers for your computer. That might help.

As does most 3D software/games. Glad to see you got it sorted out. :)