Should it maintain backwards compatibility?

It's been said before, This is not just a screensaver but a full-blown 3D
application that can run as a screensaver.

Lets look at it this way. Fast computer/Good 3D card = Good environment for
the fish. (More fish and Healthy fish). Slow computer/Weak 3D card = Poor
environment for the fish. (Less fish and Weak fish) It's up to you. Spend a
little money to upgrade your computer or the fish suffer.

I can't wait to see the wonderful things that this program has in store. It was
released as an impressive 3D environment. Future developments (as mentioned above
by Feldon) seem geared for an amazing 3D environment.

One more rant. Why do some people think everything is a conspiracy. Computers
get faster and graphics get better because of consumer demand. It would be a lot
easier and cheaper for every one involved if technology stood still, but it's not
going to. Just think of all the money Nvidia could save from research and
development, and I wouldn't have to upgrade every year or two. You don't have to
have the latest and greatest every 6 months, BUT to enjoy your computer to the
fullest, I've found, you need to stay within 2-3 years of the latest technology.

If Jim doesn't keep the cutting edge some one else will.

Sorry for going on a rant.

Jim, Keep up the great work, and don't hold back. I, like the overwhelming majority
will keep up and enjoy your efforts to the fullest.

[Tiny Turtle]

Well, Cyrus. I agree with you that lots of people tend to lean towards that stupid conspiracy theory bull****. But figure this: If nVidia didn't spend all that money on research and came up with no new cards every six months, no one would buy any new cards and nVidia wouldn't generate any new income, which would certainly make a bigger difference than saving those research funds...

[hayc59]

oh i can't wait for all those cool goddies!! and so says my family! all is well.....have a great work week to you all, and God Bless

Has anyone thought about simply making many of these changes options? I mean, making them options that could be turned on/off too boost performance of add realism.It could simply be that the minimum could be something like what we have right now with .99L. The highest settings could make it UberRealistic and such, but still slightly incompatible. That's just what I think. Variable realism settings are the key to compatibility. Not multiple versions. That is all. I'm outta here!

I think there's a quote that is very fitting:
"So long, and thanks for all the Fish"

As they say " Time Stands Still For No Man ". When it comes to any computer related program, one has to progress to be in the ball game. The concept of backwards compatibility is fine to a degree but at one point, to grow, one must move on. It's just the way things are and the average person these days is very aware of the constant change. If you look at screensavers like Aquascape, and some similar 2D/3D styles, these are so dated by todays potential, even though I do still keep them. The main point is that I hardly ever use them. In their day I did. A lot. However I do belive that from day one we knew that Sach's Aquarium was going to be progressive and not traditional. Progressive means keeping pace with new and current technology. For my part I favor strongly always moving ahead. If one does not they become the past, and that occurs quickly in the PC worlds.

Indeed this is a program more than a simple screensaver, not a game, in that concept, however it does fit under the game category of " Sim ". It does this with much better style & grace than many game companies attempts. Someone mentioned the game consoles, and IMO this would make a wonderful addition to the PS2, with it's DVD ability, and the changing face of the console market.
From day one I thought this screensaver had the most potential of any I've seen and to date I still belive this true.

I insist that Jim fully support my Altair 6800 buy writing a version of the fish for it. it is the upmost form or backward compatibility... and because I only have 256 bytes of main memory, and no graphics display, he has to compensate...

I know of nearly one person that will pay for a full version of the fish in Z80/6800 ASM, and when jum capitulates, he can then tackle other popular machines, like the Osborne, or the Lisa....

they all ran visicalc, and theres no way you shouldnt be able to run the fish on these machines.....

(JK)

[Shinsa]

Thanks for short stroll down memory lane...

I remember basic programming on my Timex/Sinclar 1000 Z80 computer. It was a monster too! I had the 16KB expansion pack for it.... Va.. va.. va.. voooom!

[nicksteel]

Just replaced my 15" monitor with a 21" flat screen trinitron (used Sun X7121A from eBay). At 1600x1200 on a large screen, the aquarium is very impressive. I don't expect most people to go to this extreme, but do hope that the screensaver will continue to represent the state of the art in 3D graphics. Backward compatibility is desirable, but should not be a limiting factor in pursuing the potential of this and other graphic efforts.

I'm using a projector with a 120" 16:9 screen, not ugly at all (would never have believed I'll be burning the expensive lamp for hours for a "screen saver"

IMHO programmers of this kind of very visual software wouldn't need to care that much about some algorithm or whatever being too slow for most current users as long as they can be turned off. People that have invested in the newest power can usually really appreciate these high-end tricks and pretty quickly (much more quickly than software like this loses its attractiveness) today's high end will be main stream.

I don't update my PC very often (just did, the previous processor and video card were '97) but don't mind buying a great program whose full graphics quality I can't use immediately. I hate some not-that-old-software I still love having artificial resolution etc limitations that used to be reasonable for most users the day that was released but absurd with current hardware.

I by no means mean that programmers should concentrate on making software only for the latest hardware, just that they shouldn't think "only 10% of current users can use this feature so I don't think I'll let them use it".

P.S. (Out of this topic but now that I'm posting anyway) I'll be happy forever when my fish start breathing and eating and whatever fish do instead of aimlessly swimming back and forth. More than enough fish for me the non-marine biologist already to distinguish from each other. Oh, I'd prefer it not using 100% CPU power as my CPU more optimised for transient loads uses and outputs >100W at full load (BTW: water cooled with an aquarium pump as appropriate for an aquarium but those are all to make me a very happy customer.

> I'm using a projector with a 120" 16:9 screen

> I'll be happy forever when my fish start breathing and
> eating and whatever fish do instead of aimlessly swimming
> back and forth.

Why not just buy the Aquarium DVD (which has several different tanks and support for anamorphic 16x9)? Don't get me wrong, I love the Sachs Aquarium screensaver (I bought it within 5 minutes of downloading the demo), but the (current) movement and behavior of the fish pales miserably when compared to the real thing. Seeing the fish on the DVD school around, chase each other, etc., makes all the difference in the world.

Regards,

Jay

I can't believe that people are upset that a software upgrade may slow down the performance of the software on older hardware. Is this their first computer? This is the way of the electronic evolution. In order to make the software more attractive and faeture rich, the hardware will be pushed a little harder. When Microsoft releases a new version of windows the hardware requirements are raised as well. If the new software doesn't run smooth on your pc you've got 2 choices... Drop back to a previous version or upgrade your cpu and or video card.

A couple months back I bought Tribes2. I think it's no secret that the minimum requirements for that game (the realistic requirements that is) are pretty steep for decent performance.

At the time, I had a 433 Celeron, VooDoo3 and 256M of RAM.

This didn't even come close... back to the store it went.

Did I call up Sierra and demand they make the game work on my PC? Nope. Did I post in forums complaining? Nope. I understand for these great games to come out and keep geeting better, they have to push the limit.

(Note: of course the price of this game has really dropped off in a hurry which can teach a lesson in making TOO big a jump and outpacing the market)

Same goes in this case. I want this screensaver to be as great as it can be. I understand that for some, that means they eventually may get left behind. While unfortunate, that's simply the way of things. No offense intended.

rev it up Jim.

(as an aside, I did recently upgarde my PC. Nope, tribes2 hasn't made it back)

[ajlaban]

Jay,

In a previous post you mentioned this DVD. In checking on the net at Amazon.com I found a DVD called Aquaria--is this the one you mean?

Do you or does anyone else have this DVD? Are there any schooling Moorish Idols anywhere in it? If so I may consider purchasing it.

Thanks

>> I'm using a projector with a 120" 16:9 screen
>> I'll be happy forever when my fish start breathing and
> Why not just buy the Aquarium DVD (which has several different tanks and support for

Well, I'm a computer graphics and not aquarium freak and am afraid I'd hardly ever bother to set the aquarium DVD to play (will try to check that though). A computer aquarium needs just a click on the remote and will be better and better whenever Jim adds new wonders there. Five minutes to purchase for me too

Yes, "Aquaria" is the name of the DVD. And, yes, I have it. Like I said, one look at the salt water set up on the "Aquaria" DVD and you'll see that the screen saver, as impressive as it is, still has a very long way to go.

Regards,

Jay

Does this DVD Aqaurium play the same movements over and over or ...........????

[FishyBusiness]

I am sure that someone just filmed an aquarium with a digital camera and put it on a DVD.

I would like to see it though.


Morgan, I remember that debate we had.....ahhh, the good ol times.

There are 5 different aquariums (salt, reef, freshwater), 60 varieties of fish, and 4 separate audio tracks in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. There is a total of 15 hours of programming on the "Aquaria" DVD (it's multi-layered and double-sided). Yes, the movements of the fish are eventually repeated (there is a "click and forget" setting for having the currently selected tank repeat forever, by the way), but each tank was filmed for a couple/few hours, so you'd have to be leading a pretty sad life to actually sit around and notice that a clown swims backwards to get out of the way of a passing tang every 3 hours! Like I said, "Sachs Marine Aquarium" is a remarkable achievement indeed, worth every penny I paid, but it's got a long way to go to catch up to the real thing. Watch the fish on "Aquaria" swim with their own unique attributes, occasionally chase each other out of the way, back up, pick at corals, or suddenly dart by in a school at 100 MPH, or even cast their own unique shadows on the bottom of the tank (yes, fish actually do cast shadows!), and you'll definitely know you're looking at the real thing! I understand "Aquaria" was used at booth after booth at a recent Consumer Electronics Show to show off various plasma and other widescreen displays. If you think about it, it would be cheaper in the long run for doctors/dentists/etc. to throw up a plasma screen with an endlessly repeating copy of "Aquaria" in their offices than it would be to go with an actual tank and a caretaking service.

Regards,

Jay

[lancensign]

Yes, I've seen the "Aquaria" DVD. It's impressive, in its own way. But I'm much more impressed by Jim Sachs' aquarium. I think it's partly the fact that I know that this screensaver is the product of a great deal of effort and ingenuity. Somehow, this makes it even more amazing to me. After all, the DVD, impressive though it may be, is essentially just a movie, a movie which loops over and over if you use it as a screensaver. Anything which eventually loops back and repeats itself will become noticeably repetitive in time. It will get old, believe me.

I saw Aquaria at a friend's home. It was indeed beautiful, but my friend was rather annoyed with it after using it for a few days. According to her, if she used it as a screensaver and had even simple applications running at the same time, the image would halt and stutter so much that it just wasn't worth running it. She also found it annoying to have to keep removing the DVD in order to use other CDs, then having to remember to put the Aquaria DVD back in. A minor annoyance perhaps, but one which the Sachs aquarium screensaver does not share.


I also like the upgradeability of the Sachs aquarium screensaver. Once you purchase it, you can download the updates as they become available -- and so far, everything I've seen and experienced with regard to this screensaver is simply excellent. It just gets better and better each time I view it. While it's true that the fish don't do everything which real fish would do, in some ways this is a plus -- and at least the fish don't loop around and start repeating the exact same motions in the exact same sequence every hour or two. And every now and then, you get to add something completely new -- some new species, starfish, and other creatures coming in the future. With the DVD, you get to see a lot of fish, but you're pretty much stuck with the same fish, doing the same thing, forever. Unless you want to purchase an Aquaria sequel, should one ever be made. And there goes another twenty bucks, while most of the Sachs upgrades will be at no additional cost.

It's not my intention to knock or badmouth the Aquaria DVD. I personally am just much less impressed by it overall than I am with the Sachs aquarium screensaver. I actually hadn't registered the Sachs aquarium at the time I saw the Aquaria DVD, and in a way, seeing Aquaria was what motivated me to go ahead and register the Sachs aquarium. Seeing both helped me decide that the Jim Sachs' outstanding creation was where I wanted to put my hard-earned money. I think I put my money in the right place, and the Sachs Marine Aquarium is more than enough to satisfy me. It's truly a beautiful work of art.

Peace,

Lance

[Jim Sachs]

Thanks for the kind words, Lance.

I haven't seen this DVD, but I plan to look for it. I might get some new ideas from it.

I have always planned to have individual behavior for each fish that would be in keeping with that species. Some will be timid, some will chase others, some will be constantly looking for food among the corals, some will school together. My goal is that a year or two from now, it will be indistinguishable from a real (idealized) aquarium.

Some say I should have waited until all these features were in place before releasing the Aquarium, but the vast majority of users seem to enjoy watching the program evolve. For their original $20, they get years of updates. By comparison, the modeling program that I use was over $2000, yet I still have to pay hundreds or over a thousand dollars for each update.