Home Register Arcade Gallery Chatroom Members Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Log In
Go Back   Inside: SereneScreen Fan Forum > SereneScreen Products > Marine Aquarium 3 for Windows
Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 03-19-2010, 01:58 PM   #1741
patscarr
Pet Shark
 
patscarr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
1 Highscore

Location: Back in Buffalo
Posts: 5,453
Patrick
patscarr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2010, 06:04 AM   #1742
pwaitzman
Registered
 
pwaitzman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010

Posts: 1
hello

i'm new to the forum but have been a huge ma fan since the beginning - i gladly purchased ma3 beta as soon as i found it available and love it.

i'm wondering if the distance to the back of the tank could be user adjustable - allowing the fish to swim farther into the background.
pwaitzman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2010, 12:46 PM   #1743
johnblommers
The Architect
 
johnblommers's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004

Location: Seattle
Posts: 756
Welcome to the forum, pwaitzman. Our good Jim Sachs gets plenty of suggestions for MA3. I mean it started as a 2D still tank, has evolved to a 3D moving aquarium, and now people are asking for an ocean filled with turtle, seahorses, and so forth. It's a nice problem to have!
Reasons people don't watch Star Trek:
60% - It’s for nerds.
39% - The show’s stupid.
01% - My parents were killed by Klingons and it's still too painful.
johnblommers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2010, 01:28 PM   #1744
Jim Sachs
Developer
 
Jim Sachs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000

Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 9,768
pwaltzman - Welcome to the Forum. Regarding your request - sorry, but that won't be possible. It took over a year to create the 3D background, and the positions are highly critical. If anything moves even a small amount, holes open up in the scenery from certain camera angles.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium
Jim Sachs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2010, 04:33 PM   #1745
Ralph
Retired
 
Ralph's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
1 Highscore

Location: Edmonton Alberta Ca
Posts: 2,435
One would get the same illusion if the fish size was determined by how close they were to the "front".. or one could mimic the effect by changing the transparency of the water. Making a fish semi disappear when in the back..
All major headaches to code I am sure..
Ralph is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2010, 09:07 PM   #1746
harris
Registered
 
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Missouri
Posts: 122
Jim,

A while ago there was a discussion about the intensity/strobe effect of the light reflections. Some people thought it was great as it is, and others thought it was too much. Personally, I thought it was perfect in MA2.

A suggestion would be to include a slider adjustment for this within the background color adjustment tab your working on now. What are your thoughts about this?
harris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-21-2010, 10:18 PM   #1747
Jim Sachs
Developer
 
Jim Sachs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000

Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 9,768
Ralph - Could you clarify what you mean by the size being determined by the distance from the camera? Because that's exactly what has always happened since MA1. The fish are 3D objects, so they get smaller as they recede from the camera. Here's a random shot of two fish at differing distances, showing a tremendous size difference.

Please let me know if this is not what you are talking about, because this has been mentioned so many times over the years that I really wonder what people expect to see.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg SizeDiff.jpg (15.9 KB, 11 views)
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium
Jim Sachs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2010, 06:06 AM   #1748
Jav400
Administrator
 
Jav400's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
22 Highscores

Location: Tennessee
Posts: 9,725
Jim if you didn't move the coral, but made a distance adjustment where it just allowed greater depth in the open space above the coral where the fish got even smaller like above would that mess up anything?
Jav400 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2010, 06:31 AM   #1749
Ralph
Retired
 
Ralph's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
1 Highscore

Location: Edmonton Alberta Ca
Posts: 2,435
Jim.. yes that was what I was talking about.. Making the fish smaller as they recede from the camera... I was not aware this was already taking place The process just looked very natural to me without being aware why.
Ralph is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2010, 06:57 AM   #1750
Jav400
Administrator
 
Jav400's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
22 Highscores

Location: Tennessee
Posts: 9,725
Personally I'm not sure what the benefit would be, but maybe it could be done.

Overall what Jim does is like a magician. They entice you into watching one hand while the other one does what they want it too to fulfill and create the illusion.

That's what Jim does as well. The positioning and look of the tank is all illusion. Move one object, even slightly and it's ruined.

Overall I'm not sure what deepening the tank would accomplish. Basically there might be something there just because of the fact that farther away means smaller and less detail, which equals "easier" as far as slight of hand so to speak. The question's are -

1) Is there anything Jim wants to accomplish that would be made easier by doing it back there?

2) Is anything going to get broken by doing it?
Jav400 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2010, 06:57 AM   #1751
JohnWho
Registered
 
JohnWho's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009

Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Posts: 486
Right Arrow

Let's remember - it's called "Marine AQUARIUM", not "Marine Ocean".

Aquariums, at least the commercial, decorative type, aren't very deep. Certainly not deep enough for a fish to swim toward the back and disappear into the murky depths. While we can't see the back of MA3, visually it appears that there is about as much space between the back of the coral and the back of the aquarium as there is in the front. That being the case, I suspect that the size difference that we see between a fish in the front and then in the back is what the developer has determined through actual observation, or maybe slightly increased for effect.

When you add this to the "3D effect" of the panning viewpoint you get a reasonably realistic feeling of depth.

I give it two , mainly because that's all the thumbs I've got.
JohnWho is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2010, 07:13 AM   #1752
Jav400
Administrator
 
Jav400's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
22 Highscores

Location: Tennessee
Posts: 9,725
Unless it's a custom tank, the most depth you usually see is 24 inches, in rare occasions on very large tanks it might go up to 30".
Jav400 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2010, 08:39 AM   #1753
Jim Sachs
Developer
 
Jim Sachs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000

Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 9,768
Jav and JohnWho are totally correct in their assessments - It's an aquarium 24 inches deep, and that's how far the fish can go.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium
Jim Sachs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-22-2010, 09:00 AM   #1754
cjmaddy
Registered
 
cjmaddy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2001

Location: Lancashire, UK
Posts: 7,854
IMHO.... The very simple addition of a darker background is all that's required to give just that little extra impression of depth.

.... And we will very soon all have that option! ...
cjmaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2010, 01:07 AM   #1755
Tarkus
Shark Bytes
 
Tarkus's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005

Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 158
Originally posted by cjmaddy:
IMHO.... The very simple addition of a darker background is all that's required to give just that little extra impression of depth.  
A mirrored background does that even better, though I'm not suggesting Jim add that.
Tarkus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2010, 04:52 PM   #1756
spetro
Semper Paratus
 
spetro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009

Location: Georgia Mountains and Florida, USA
Posts: 133
I left 2.6 on my vista laptop. Love how night and day interacts.. Underwater backgrounds are tough because in the ocean the background just fades out. With tropical fish the scene is more direct then real life landscape, if that makes any sense. Just like the background of my puffer avatar.

I think the background is good now....maybe some higher gravel fading out away from the main scene, or taller swaying plants. If the starfish gets reintroduced....that would be great. I know it has to do with the light transition in the older version.
spetro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2010, 04:54 PM   #1757
harris
Registered
 
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Missouri
Posts: 122
Originally posted by harris:
Jim,

A while ago there was a discussion about the intensity/strobe effect of the light reflections. Some people thought it was great as it is, and others thought it was too much. Personally, I thought it was perfect in MA2.

A suggestion would be to include a slider adjustment for this within the background color adjustment tab your working on now. What are your thoughts about this?  
What! not a single comment from Jim, or anyone else.

OK, I understand - silence is worth a thousand words.

I'll delete this post and the original suggestion in the morning.
harris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2010, 08:47 PM   #1758
Ralph
Retired
 
Ralph's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2002
1 Highscore

Location: Edmonton Alberta Ca
Posts: 2,435
Pirates chest and other trinkets have been discussed years ago.. Jim was "strongly" opposed I seem to recall.
Ralph is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2010, 09:13 PM   #1759
Jim Sachs
Developer
 
Jim Sachs's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2000

Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 9,768
harris - Sorry, you are not being intentionally ignored, I just avoid this thread unless absolutely necessary. I'll see how much trouble it would be to change the lightplay intensity.

JohnWho - The treasure chest is in the Freshwater Aquarium. People involved with saltwater tanks are generally purists who don't want any toys in the tank. Things are a little looser in the freshwater community, and the bubbling tresure chest is almost a must-have.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium
Jim Sachs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2010, 09:27 PM   #1760
Nicki
Sugar Plum Fairy
 
Nicki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008

Location: Toronto
Posts: 1,267
Actually I think I would like to see an option for slower gentler lightplay in the tank. Never thought about it until harris' suggestion but yes. It would be a nice new wrinkle and maybe help with the illusion of depth that has been discussed.
Run you clever boy. And remember...
Nicki is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply
Go Back   Inside: SereneScreen Fan Forum > SereneScreen Products > Marine Aquarium 3 for Windows



Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:07 AM.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.