MA looking a outdated
 

Its been a LONG time since we've had an update. I think its pretty obvious this screen saver is on the back burner. Everybody whose looking for that 3D background, don't hold your breath. Its been a couple of years since it was announced as "in the works" and still nothing. And version 2.0 was just 5 new fish, pretty lame. Those cheesy windows screen savers are actually looking pretty good.

steve

Are you trolling for an argument or did you just not bother to check for information on the reasons there hasn't been a 3D background released yet?

Don't get me wrong, I long for one as well and believe it has been a very long time since without it, but your presentation of arguments is a bit aggressive in its ignorance.

/Tiny Wait

Now, Tiny - don't jump on him too hard. He's right, we're all a bit frustrated by the lack of progress -- me most of all.

That's what's great about a free market - if those cheesy screenasvers are looking good, go with them! :)

Oh well I buy them all, if it appears to me, even if it is cheesy,

And all of us developers love you for it.

A friend of mine called me from some computer store the other day. He was purchasing the SSA and called to tell me about the amazing screensaver he had just seen and was about to purchase. He was deeply, deeply impressed. So, it is apparently not as "outdated" as some would suggest.

And what did he say when you told him all about it and that you were a member of the forum, and talked to the creator of it regularly? ;)

SA is one of the SS masterpiece and it 's not pruely commercial product. Up to this moment, we didn't find a better.
My upset is all the new or good ideas from Jim & this forum were made in other SS Co. If one day Jim's new SS comes out, it will not be unique SS anymore.
All I have to say is Jim please give us some goods news earlier.

A tiny thought (see my post in the WIP thread - dated today) - now game engines are getting cleverer would it be possible to do an updated aquarium screen-saver using one of those. Half-life is supposed to handle skin deformations caused by facial muscles, so could it do fin muscles?

Unfortunately, the software isn't working properly. He's going to replace it today. I told him that if is still doesn't work, that I know where to go for helpful advice :)

Liath - what are the symptoms? Was the program on CD, and if so, was it purchased at Wal-Mart? We've had reports over the last couple of days regarding Wal-Mart CDs that ask for a Key Code when attempting to install.

jleslie - possibly, but that technology belongs to the developers of those products. These are the most closely guarded secrets in the world, not like instructions on how to build nuclear weapons.

:D

It seems people are usually quite keen to licence their engines to others. Troika (who wrote Bloodlines) just licenced the engine used in Half Life 2, rather than writing one themselves. Lots of people used the Quake 3 engine in games. But it was just a passing thought, probably not worth a big debate (just the way I'd be tempted to investigate if I was doing it - but I'm a hardware engineer anyway :-)

There's still the underlying problem which has prevented me from using Prolific's engine -- the fact that I am incapable of understanding software technology which I didn't invent. Remember, my middle name is Doesnotworkwellwithothers.

Also, a lot of people buy the Aquarium because of the back-story: one person goes up against large teams and wins. If I were to license the core technology from someone else, then it's Jim and Sierra's Aquarium, and no longer has any appeal for those whose imagination is captured by someone going it alone.

:TU:

And I who always thought the "D." was for "Developer"... ;)

Don't recall the symptoms, but he has either replaced are fixed the problem, and is very happy with his new fish :)

I like the Marine Aquarium just the way it is. :) After all these years, I'm still happy with it. And it still is my favorite with the goldfish at number two.

If somebody (who actually needs talent too) writes a screensaver with fancy pixel and vertex shaders and so on, no doubts it will make the MA look extremely old hat. But nobody has done that yet.

I think the point the author is trying to make is that from a technological standpoint, the MA is long since outdated. Artistically, in terms of the fish anyway, that doesn't really apply. Good art doesn't become outdated.

MA cannot be considered out of date yet because nothing has come along to surpass it.

I believe that is one of, if not the main reason why Jim does not feel the need to work on it or anything else at the moment. He has said before in this thread "from a money standpoint, I don't actually HAVE to do any more work on the Aquarium, or anything else" Jim is living comfortably and MA is still the measure of the best in its class for 5 years now. No worries, hence, no need to move forward at the moment.

Though, in that same thread, Jim has let slip his fear of failure and need for approval. Perhaps these are also holding him back a bit.

Then, I'm sure many of you here remember his bout with artists block a while back. I wonder if he has really ever gotten over it.