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Old 02-07-2006, 08:54 AM   #37
edaniels
Goldfish Aquarium Developer
 
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Join Date: Jan 2004

Location: Glendale, California
Posts: 82
The main reason I didn't put a diver, a skeleton, or somesuch thing in the Goldfish Aquarium is that those toys tend to look plastic, artificial & cheap... and when I had tried to make rocks that looked deliberately plastic, artificial & cheap, nobody liked them -- not even me (I never stopped trying to make them look "better"). Remembering the old computer rule "GIGO," I've spent the last couple years shopping for the very best-looking aquarium decorations I can find (avoiding treasure chests, of course, because that's Jim's territory). I've been to every pet store in the area... as well as every pet store on Tung Choi street of Hong Kong (where over 70 aquarium stores line a 2-block stretch!) and the pickings are disappointingly slim once you weed out the plastic-looking stuff. And the treasure chests.

That was the main reason, but here's the other: Every time I see an actual goldfish aquarium that stops me dead in my tracks, makes my jaw drop, and makes me say "Wow, now THERE'S a beautiful aquarium!", there's never a cheap toy in it. It's always lushly planted, with natural-looking rocks and gravel. The goldfish are treated with dignity, as objects of beauty and grace. That's the mood I want to convey with this program.

Goldfish bowls, though, are a slightly different story... I feel that they can withstand a slightly higher threshhold of "cheesiness," which is why the waterwheel shows up in a bowl. But you'll notice that it's not a cheap-looking waterwheel; in fact, it's the best one I could find on two continents. If I ever find a "diver snatching pearl" toy I like, I may change my mind... Or if I ever do a kids' version of Goldfish Aquarium, maybe I'll put one in there.

Or if any of you happen upon a toy that looks particularly good, let me know... jot down the manufacturer's name, or take a picture of it, or both!
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