.99K Released!!

[feldon34]

GeForce 2 MX on what operating system? Best drivers are 6.47 or 6.67 for most nVidia cards.

[MegaHertz]

I also upgraded to .99K but if any thing my performance has improved. Instead of my FPS fluctuating between 115-130 they now stay at exactly 123.08 99% of the time.

Just for reference here are my system specs.

PIII 825(550@150MHz FSB), Abit BE6-2,256M PC133 SDRAM, CL Annihilator 2 MX (Core 220Mhz,Mem 360Mhz), Win98 SE, DirectX 8, & nVidia 6.47 ref. drivers.

On my VooDoo 3 2000, the performance is almost identical (73-78fps). I run Windows 2000 with a 450MHz PIII, and 256MB RAM.

Paul

[feldon34]

.99K has been officially released at SereneScreen.com.

This is probably Build #4 of .99K, so if you downloaded it early this morning or even this afternoon, you probably have an old version.

Make sure you have the newest and then, as a beta tester, it's your duty(!) to check out Password protection and EnergyStar (monitor sleep mode) and Always on Top/Windowed Mode. Hopefully the bugs have been worked out.

The Windowed Mode/Always-on-Top bug reprted by Nut110 and Jroz has been fixed in the latest build of .99K.

Also, the latest .99K has the volume adjusted to a good point. For anyone already making a .99L wishlist, a Volume Bar is already on it.

WOW, COOL, EFFICIENT

Passwords prtectoin has always worked for me (Windows 2000). The monitor powerdown now works with .99k. I do get one strange thing though. I have WinAMP open and it is set for always on top, then I open the Aquarium in fullscreen mode and press the spacebar, the setting screen shows up but WinAMP shows up also. This happens about 2 out of 4 times. If I click on WinAMP then the Aquarium minimizes. I do not have this problem when I run .99J. Also when the Aquarium minimizes I can now maximize it again. With .99H I would have to close the Aquarium and then reopen it.

Here are my system specs.
Windows 2000 SP1, and DX8, with an Asus P2b-L motherboard, an Intel PIII 450MHz (running at 462MHz), 256MB RAM, and a VooDoo III (AGP). The monitor is a NEC MultiSync 6FGp 21in CRT.


This is a great program and it just keeps getting better, Thanks Jim!

Paul

Jim you did a great job I really love the sound
continue the great work.(AWSOME)

[Jim Sachs]

With 2 apps set for always-on-top, the behavior is unknown.

This is with the Aquarium in full screen and not set to be always on top. If I have the Aquarium in a window, and set to be always on top, then which ever app is selected is the one that seems to get priority and stays on top.
I have to hand it to you, I can't see how any one single person can write a program of this magnitude, dealing with the quarks of several operating systems and still stay involved with all of the users requests and comments. I feel bad that all I can do is point out things that might be wrong. I think this is a great program the way it stands now, and am very impressed with the plans you have for it in the future.

Thanks,
Paul

[Jim Sachs]

Thanks for understanding how hard it is to keep up with all the quirks of every combination of computer/video card/driver/operating system/program/dll/tsr/virus/user error, etc. And remember, I'm a computer artist who has no training in programming. This is like making a movie only to find out that no two projectors in the world are the same.

At the moment, the full-screen window of the Aquarium is also set for always-on-top if the checkbox is marked. I seem to remember someone mentioning a problem with WinAmp before, but can't recall if it was solved.

[Nut110]

I don't know where is the vol. control. I've just downloaded the "F" key but fix version already. It does work now. Just a bit confused that you told it has also vol. control...

(*_*!)

[Nut110]

Ha ha ha....
Sorry Morgan....
OK now I know what you mean....
But would it also be good if SS have it own vol. control ?

Ha ha ha....
("o")

[hpman77]

this is GRRREEAT!
And here I haven't that fps drop
Running Windows ME, 192MB ram, and Geforce 2MX 32mb

Now the picasso trigger looks... well, live )))
And the fixed fishes looks incredible now!

Hi,
Does anyone else notice the yellow mouth on the regal tang, and i think the blue damsel is too shiney, and all the ones i ever owned, had a small black dot on both sides near the tailfin, but other then that i think 99k is very WOW, keep up the good work Mr. Sachs.

[feldon34]

Here's what I said:

Also, the latest .99K has the volume adjusted to a good point. For anyone already making a .99L wishlist, a Volume Bar is already on it.

Here's what Nut110 said:

I don't know where is the vol. control. I've just downloaded the "F" key but fix version already. It does work now. Just a bit confused that you told it has also vol. control...

Ok, .99K does NOT have a volume control bar. The next version, .99L will. This will allow you to adjust the volume of the bubbles independantly from the sound on your computer. (of course if you have the Master Volume AND Wave volume down on your computer, then it will be quiet regardless)

I'm guessing the volume bar will affect the Wave volume like every other program.

Jim, this Aquarium is just fantastic. I'm running a 1.3g P4 with a Hercules GeForce2 Ultra with Detonator 3 drivers. There is no other way to describe it other than photo-realistic. I used to power off my monitor when I was finished, but now the fish keep the home office company, and I find myself watching the screen just to see what'll happen next. I've had no problems whatsoever.

Looking forward to the final release. Thanks for the fun and entertaining product.

[Jim Sachs]

Regarding the term "Final Release" - there really is no such thing. At some point, I'll call it v1.0, but the additions and improvememts will come just as often after that.

When you own the SereneScreen Aquarium, Christmas comes about once a month

In that case, I look forward to the next release. Thanks again.

[snorkler]

Just got in from a long weekend of work and ... .99k is GREAT! Really like the new and updated fish and Jim has it exactly right about Christmas coming once a month. Hope his next saver is released in the same manner, this is FUN!

[FishyBusiness]

I have been busy with family and mother's day so I missed the boat. Well, I swam my heart out and finally caught up with the boat and download the new version.

Jim you really did a great job with the fish. Of course it works great with Win98SE. I hope that you don't have to wait until everybody stops using Win98 to come out with v1.0.

My FPS remains unchanged. Though, I only run it in full screen mode.

The new fish are great looking. I really like the Regal Angel. The Picasso still clumsily swims around. I don't understand this since all of the fish use the same math. In the chat room, Feldon said that the fish was to big.

I saved the best for last. I LOVE THE NEW SOUND. I find myself feeling thirsty when I hear it. It really does sound real. I am wondering if it is a fresh water sound, a salt water sound, or a mixture of both. Either way, I like it a lot. Also, I remember a post awhile back that said something about DX not being able to control the volume up or down. I forgot which one that it could do. How are you going to control the sound?

I did notice that Christmas comes about once every month. You sound as if you are going to be very busy with the other Serene Screens and continuing to update this one screen saver. Just remember that you are giving other people joy when you are working on these projects. I know that my girlfriend and I a very pleased with your work.

Take care and don't forget about your personal life.