That wouldn't stop another thread from being started elsewhere.

That's why I suggested a Blog previously......then Jim can post what he wants when he wants, disable comments and also post video bits.

Here you go.

Wow! Jim, you are just full of surprises! First you were working with deadlines, then you gave an actual release date, and now you are posting screen shots of a work in progress! All things you have never done in the past. Now I am convinced that your wife or daughter is logging in to this forum using your ID. :)

OOOOoo! I've gone all clammy with excitement!

Jim, thanks for the screenshot.
More, more!

:TU:

Can't wait for the new version, beautiful.

It's the Stepford Jim! Everyone, be afraid! Be VERY afraid! :eek: :D

Wow, I too never thought that would happen... :eek:

Now, that's 3D!

"Are we there yet?"

I like that it's a slice of what's to come ;)

If you notice that the fish in that picture aren't quite as realistic as in the old program, it's because they don't have proper lighting yet. This means that the only shading is that which is drawn into the actual texture. The new fish will be able to bank and rotate in ways which they never could before, so the shaded areas must correspond with this. Before, the program simply turned on dynamic lighting, so shading and specular effects were automatic. But now, all "lighting" is done in Vertex Shaders, and I'm still struggling with the concept. I am able to combine the texture and lightplay in one rendering pass, but so far haven't been able to add diffuse lighting or specular effects. I could do it by making two rendering passes for each fish, but this really slows down the program. That is the area I'm working on today.

That's what I like so much about you, mr. Sachs - no shortcuts! Sure it might take a while to finish the product, but I'd rather have that than what some of the competitors churn out which looks good at a first glance but almost always flawed in at least some way when you look closer...

:)

...When you read notes like this you realise that there's MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE & I suspect many final touches before the master is happy with his piece of work.

Thanks all the same for the preview... have to get back to thinking about my wishlist now!

Jim, your work is just unbelievable. I sometimes feel I should have a towel handy in case my monitor starts to leak! Yes your work is that realistic. People should be happy you are willing and able to share your talents. Besides the expectations are half the fun!

If this is going to be more 3D then MA2, will it have an optional 'Top Down' view?

The camera angle has to be tightly controlled to maintain realism. The scene scrolls back and forth, but the camera angle cannot change. Even with this restriction, the Beta testers have been finding lots of holes for me to fix.

Allowing the camera angle to change would increase the work to create this little "universe" by tenfold. Then we would be looking at 50 years instead of 5.

Jim,
keep up the great work.
MA3 will be the bomb :TU:

Um, doesn't 5 years mean it was out last year? Did I miss it ;-)
I know, I know...