** SS Marine Aquarium 2.0 ~ monitor 'clicking' **
 

Does your display card/monitor have a longer negotiation about which mode/resolution/refresh to operate in with Marine Aquarium 2?

If so, we need to hear about it!


Reichart and I had a lengthy conversation about WHY this happens. SS Aquarium 99D up through early builds of MA2 have had a "rigged" way of getting into and out of the Aquarium as quickly as possible without a large number of compatibility problems.

Starting with Marine Aquarium 2.0, this "rigging" has been removed. Already, we are seeing several reports of DirectX negotiation taking 5-10 seconds and in my case, my monitor clicks thirteen times before the Aquarium comes on.

If this happens to you please vote in this topic!


I have been assured that a future version of the Aquarium will detect and "learn" what video card you have so that it can use either the "rigged" or "standard" method of negotiating.

In the original code, I used a brute-force way of switching the monitor to the desired resolution, so it only clicked once. Prolific does it the legal way, which, like most legal things, involves a lot of red tape.

An easy work-around is to set the Aquarium to the same resolution (especially bit-depth) as your desktop. Then it should switch instantly.

I'm using LCD so dont' hear any clicking BUT my screen refreshs twice, maybe there more than twice negotiations but since LCD wont' have clicking sound, I can't compare much. But the start up time is a bit longer(1~2 sec) compare to MA1.1.2

I consider 1-2 seconds and 1-2 flashes within acceptable parameters.

yup....that's why I vote "it does not bother me. "
however, I wonder does this problem tightly related to the video card or the monitor type?

I just downloaded the trial version of 2.0.

It works fine on my monitor using my Arcade FX GForce MX 440-8XAGP nvidea video card. - As with version 1.0 and 1.1, I can view the fish stereoscopically using Elsa Revelator glasses and Win3D with VRCADDYPRO, but it appears that the frame rate is limited to about 62 fps which results in more flicker than I got with the earilier versions in stereo mode.

I like 2.0, but I don't think I would be willing to pay a full $20 for it, having paid $20 for the retail boxed version just last month.

Franklin,

It is not necessary to post the same message in 4 places. We understand your concerns.

What Jim says works great, however I get about 15fps less in 32bit than 16bit and here at work that's about 50% of my total frame rate, guess I'll put up with the clicking, I won't have to at home.

No problems here, so far. There's just a 3 second start delay (black screen), no flashes (changing from 1280x960 16 bit desktop to 1152x864 16 bit screensaver).

I run my desktop at 1280x1024 at 32bit, I run the ma2 at 1600x1200 at 32 bit and my monitor only clicks twice, the ma2 is up and running in about 2 seconds. In this version the fish movement does seem to be very smooth compared to the last version.

Sometimes my monitor switches twice until it finally runs the right resolution.
I run my desktop at 1600 x 1200 x 32 bit
and my screensaver at 1600 x 1200 x 16 bit.

I'm glad to see that this is much more of an isolated problem than I thought.

For what it's worth only if I set the 16 /32 colors to the opposite of what my monitor is set at do I seem to get a "double" pause. No clicking in the "sound" sense. This is very similar to the effect I get when I change my resolution.
GeForce 3 Ti500 Windows 98 SE:TU:

Because that's exactly what it's doing.

I'd love to know what monitor you have. I've only ever seen an LCD do this because it does not have a voltage relay switch. :)

In my computer it takes 3 secs to start and two or three clicks, but it doesn't bother me. I'm running at 1024x768x32 85 Hz, GeForce3Ti200, Det.41.09, DX 8.2 (who needs DX9 now? :) )

Tried it at home last night, I run both my desktop and screen saver at 1600x1200/85Hz/32bit so obviously there are no problems, works better than ever before, very pleased... And limiting the frame rate makes it only use 35% or so of my CPU. Couldn't be happier! :)

I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO TRY FOR MYSELF,BUT NO KEYCODE YET.STILL GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT SO I'M TOLD.

Nothing special. :rolleyes: A SAMSUNG SyncMaster 955df.

With the demo, mine only does this when the scr settings and my monitor settings aren't the same.

Can't wait to get my updated key... been a user a long time (.99 days) and seeing 2.0 released made my week!