MA3 Beta #1 goes Matrix
 

Hm,
I fired up Beta #1 here at work on a dual screen XP rig and managed to find a bug right away: When I switch to windowed mode the fish freeze up! Bubbles are rising just fine and the scrolling works like it should, but the fish are stationary. :(

With the point of view changing with the scrolling you get a very cool Matrix effect in slow motion, but I doubt that's the way Jim intended.

As for being able to repeat this bug – yes I can. In fact I can't get it to work properly again. Switching to wireframe mode works though the fish still don't move. Switching back to full-screen makes the fish move again. This happen regardless of whether the window is on monitor 1 or 2 and if the window is active or not

Specs:
Pentium 4 3.2GHz (HP machine)
2 GB RAM
Geforce 6500 "Turbocache" (256 MB)

Running XP Pro SP2
in 1280x1024 + 1680x1050
(fullscreen on both runs in ~32 fps)

P.S.
Morg, you can add the GF6500 next to the 6600 on your list, right?

Wow, that's going to be tough to track down. I have no idea how the fish could stop and the rest of the animation could keep going - everything is in the same loop.

Separate threads people!

Same freeze on windowed mode for me
 

I get the same "fish freeze, but everything else continues" bug in windowed mode on my machine. The water highlights/bubbles/scrolling continues, and switching back to full-screen mode unfreezes the fish.

# Windows XP Pro
# 4GB RAM
# nVidia GeForce 8600
# Soyo 24" LCD at 1920 x 1200 and Rosewill 19" LCD at 1280 x 1024 (dual monitor)

Could one of you guys try it on a single monitor and see if it does the same thing?

I just tried switching from full screen to windowed, and back again... worked w/o any problems.

gateway 6860 fx laptop
Vista 64 Ultimate
8800GTS
IDT HD Audio
4GB RAM

Works ok for me too. I only have one monitor. No frozen fishes, able to switch from window to full screen both in wired mode and nonwired mode.


Computer: Dell Dimension 4600, ATI Radeon 9600, 1.5GB ram, Pentium 4, 2.4ghz, Windows XP Home

No freeze in windowed mode after I disabled the 2nd monitor. So, that seems to be related.

No freeze with disabled 2nd monitor, freeze if 2nd monitor is enabled.
# Windows XP Pro
# 4GB RAM
# nVidia GeForce 8600
# Soyo 24" LCD at 1920 x 1200

Guess I need to get a second monitor. hehe...

Just an update: Beta #3 still has this problem with 2 monitors.

Update: Beta #5 and 5a still have this problem with 2 monitors.

I suppose I should have posted before on this thread, but I thought the problem may now be resolved. - I have never experienced this fish freeze in windowed mode whilst using two monitors. - I'm not suggesting that it doesn't occur on some systems, - only that in my case I can't get it to happen.

The only effect I get is that the FPS in the window, drops considerably even if only a small portion of the window is on the second monitor. So I only have the window displayed on the 1st screen.

AMD Athlon XP2500+
1535MB
nVidia 7900GS (Driver 178.24)
Dx 9.0c
Win2kPro SP4
Dual VP920 ViewSonic Monitors

Frozen fish? - I think this is the explanation....
 

In this thread, started by Tiny, you will notice that those reporting the same problem were also all using more than one screen.

An anomaly that cropped up whilst trying to diagnose a problem with DA, may also be the clue to what is causing this 'frozen fish' situation here in MA3.

In the case of MA3, the problem isn't necessarily to do with the order in which the monitor leads are connected to the video card, - But it might be!
If the leads are the 'wrong' way around. ie. With the video card's socket nearest to the motherboard going to the right-hand screen, - then it can result in odd things happening. - (Note: I've read somewhere that normally this is the socket considered to be the one that should connect to the left-hand (No 1) monitor.) - This of course doesn't really matter, as corrections can be made in the Display Properties. - But if that results in changing over the screen you choose to have as your Primary monitor, then the chances are that the fish could freeze when in Windowed Mode!

Regardless of all the above, just changing the monitor that is 'Primary' can result in this freezing when in a window. - But it is the above that usually necessitates changing which one is to be primary. - Other programs such as DA or Marine Aquarium, can still be spread correctly left to right, but it's in choosing which is primary, that the freezing starts!

I have checked and double-checked all the combinations and changes I can think of, - and I always get the same result. - The bubbles rise, the sound is unaffected, and the scene still auto-scrolls across the window. - But the fish are frozen!

So, come on, Tiny, rlowens, Ed, etc.... - can you unfreeze your fish? ...... It's over to you! :) - This may not be the solution to the bug, but it is a work-around that might unfreeze your fish. - (A re-boot may be necessary to make sure everything on your desktop shows in the right place.)

Does anybody with an ATI graphic card experienced any frozen fish problem?

Cliff,
Thanks for the insight.

I have duplicated the problem on an ATI card and should be able to come up with a solution.

Good sleuthing, Cliff!

Jim,
If you can push your changes so I can apply my changes, I think I have the fix for this bug. It might have fixed some other bugs reported also.

There is also a possibility that it broke something but it should not.

I'm sorry that those of you with one screen can not witness this for yourselves. It is fascinating to manually scroll a large window of a tank filled with the maximum number of fish, (all frozen in 3D suspension!). - It's strange how it shows off the 3D depth of the tank, and of the fish, in an amazing way that doesn't come across the same, as when things are behaving as they should, the normal way!

The key "F5" will almost do the same thing except the background is also frozen.

Edit: Oops, I really should have tested that first. It doesn't do the same thing. :)

I'll let Edgar handle this one, since it's a hassle for me to set up two monitors. I'm busy working on the new website.