[feldon34]

Jim Sachs joined us for an informal chat tonight and gave us the latest news.

The first version that will appear on the website will be version 1.1. All users who already own version 99L or an earlier version will be entitled to an upgrade to version 1.1 without extra charge.

Version 1.1 will cost $21.95 to new purchasers.

In all cases, Version 1.1 contains the changes in 1.0, and the new Lionfish specialty creature.

Future specialty creatures will be added in packages of 7 or 10 for $10. So 2-3 months may pass while Jim is developing multiple specialty creatures. I've asked Jim about doing a $10 subscription, and we'll get the 7-10 specialty creatures as they are completed but he flatly said that this opens him up to the possibility that he might be unable to finish and have to refund a lot of money.

Future plans? 1.1 will hopefully be released next week. I cannot promise dates because nobody hits them (problems always come up).

The Red Volitan Lionfish we are getting will have moving mouth and gills, has its own special behavior that is different from the other fish. It often just sits there with its fins waving in the flow of the water. Jim has said that the tank looks VERY scary with 5 Lionfish enabled. The Lionfish is listed in the same selection menus that the regular fish appear in, so you can have an entire tank of Lionfish.

The 3D background is the next project.

Then Jim will be working on the 3D animation to a feature film.

After that, Jim will begin his first specialty creature package.

The Jellyfish and Octopus will probably not be in the first package, but the first package may include a Skate (Manta Ray) that hides in the sand and periodically comes out, kicking up a cloud of dust and sand. Also, the Mandarinfish model will be based on the Lionfish model, since the side fins have the proper amount of detail.