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feldon34 · 07-05-2003, 08:05 PM

Jim Sachs *is* SereneScreen. Prolific is the publisher for SereneScreen Marine Aquarium. Prolific is also artists, programmers, developers who have many other products on the market (prolific.com is just a taste).

Jim Sachs is not involved in the Goldfish Aquarium.
Goldfish Aquarium is by a totally different artist and programmers.

FlagPride is by yet another artist and programmer.

You're the first to prefer the Goldfish Aquarium (and express your preference so eloquently) here on the forum.

Even after quite a bit of exposure to Marine Aquarium (I've been into it for 2 years), it still looks real to me. Yes, the fish could swim more realistically, but everything that is done is done to prevent unrealistic things from happening like fish slamming into each other, passing through rocks, etc. Most developers seem to get ambitious about animation and then spent months trying to fix the realism. Jim went the other way, keeping it real but slowly expanding the animation. It is simply a different mindset.

I hate to be on the defensive, but I guess now is a good time to list things that I'd like to see improved with the Goldfish Aquarium.

First, the fish have no reflections on their scales. This is unrealistic. There is also no specular coloring. Real goldfish, when turning, catch glints of light from ambient lights in the room in addition to having a certain irridescent color and metallic appearance.

Look at the Royal Gramma and Copper-banded Butterfly in Jim's Aquarium. The Copper-banded Butterfly has a shiny metallic appearance while the Goldfish all have flat coloring. Supposedly, specular maps are coming (more complex than Jim's specular lighting).

The tail animation of the Goldfish is ok but there's more to be done. They still flop around a bit betraying a lack of true bone structure. It seems like the "tail is wagging the dog" at times.

The Goldfish lose a ton of realism for me with the fish slamming into the glass, rocks, or each other. You'd think that there would be a proximity bubble around each one which would cause decelleration of the fish.

The plants are still fuzzy due to photography problems. The lightplay on the rocks is inaccurate enough to bother me.

If you are unhappy with the size/scale of Marine Aquarium, then go and pick up a 42" Plasma screen. Then the fish will be the right size.

I'd hate to see what size monitor you'd need for Doom III or Half-Life 2.

07-05-2003, 08:05 PM	#3
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,938	Jim Sachs is SereneScreen. Prolific is the publisher for SereneScreen Marine Aquarium. Prolific is also artists, programmers, developers who have many other products on the market (prolific.com is just a taste). Jim Sachs is not involved in the Goldfish Aquarium. Goldfish Aquarium is by a totally different artist and programmers. FlagPride is by yet another artist and programmer. You're the first to prefer the Goldfish Aquarium (and express your preference so eloquently) here on the forum. Even after quite a bit of exposure to Marine Aquarium (I've been into it for 2 years), it still looks real to me. Yes, the fish could swim more realistically, but everything that is done is done to prevent unrealistic things from happening like fish slamming into each other, passing through rocks, etc. Most developers seem to get ambitious about animation and then spent months trying to fix the realism. Jim went the other way, keeping it real but slowly expanding the animation. It is simply a different mindset. I hate to be on the defensive, but I guess now is a good time to list things that I'd like to see improved with the Goldfish Aquarium. First, the fish have no reflections on their scales. This is unrealistic. There is also no specular coloring. Real goldfish, when turning, catch glints of light from ambient lights in the room in addition to having a certain irridescent color and metallic appearance. Look at the Royal Gramma and Copper-banded Butterfly in Jim's Aquarium. The Copper-banded Butterfly has a shiny metallic appearance while the Goldfish all have flat coloring. Supposedly, specular maps are coming (more complex than Jim's specular lighting). The tail animation of the Goldfish is ok but there's more to be done. They still flop around a bit betraying a lack of true bone structure. It seems like the "tail is wagging the dog" at times. The Goldfish lose a ton of realism for me with the fish slamming into the glass, rocks, or each other. You'd think that there would be a proximity bubble around each one which would cause decelleration of the fish. The plants are still fuzzy due to photography problems. The lightplay on the rocks is inaccurate enough to bother me. If you are unhappy with the size/scale of Marine Aquarium, then go and pick up a 42" Plasma screen. Then the fish will be the right size. I'd hate to see what size monitor you'd need for Doom III or Half-Life 2. "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed. Everything else is public relations." - George Orwell "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." - Emma Goldman Last edited by feldon34; 07-09-2003 at 10:28 PM.