05-29-2008, 06:36 PM | #1661 |
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The "shooting starfish" effect (as I like to refer to it) could be Marine Aquarium's take on the "uncanny valley" - except in this case the uncanny part is how clean the tank glass appears to be...
Actually though, now that I think about it, does the uncanny valley only apply to the representation of humans, or does it also work with fish?
Praying for a Pufferfish...
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05-29-2008, 08:23 PM | #1662 |
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The floating starfish problem will be partially mitigated by the scrolling camera. From the movement of the starfish, it will be obvious to the observer that it's on a plane in front of all the background material. I'm also looking into having a slight shadow below the starfish on the glass. Ordinarily this would indicate dirty glass, but if it is subtle enough, it just might work.
I've never had an "uncanny valley" problem with the Aquarium. Most people seem more than willing to accept the fish as real, and that will only get better as I improve their behavior. I am, however, extremely concerned about this phenomenom when I start making my movie.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium |
05-30-2008, 01:04 PM | #1663 |
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I still have trouble sleeping when I think about the zombified version of Tom Hanks in "Polar Express."
Praying for a Pufferfish...
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05-30-2008, 03:06 PM | #1664 |
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Originally posted by Jim Sachs:
From the movement of the starfish, it will be obvious to the observer that it's on a plane in front of all the background material. I'm also looking into having a slight shadow below the starfish on the glass. Ordinarily this would indicate dirty glass, but if it is subtle enough, it just might work.
Reasons people don't watch Star Trek:
60% - It’s for nerds. 39% - The show’s stupid. 01% - My parents were killed by Klingons and it's still too painful. |
05-30-2008, 03:33 PM | #1665 |
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You mean like an army of Cerith snails?
Thanks to Morgan, Tiny Snapshots is up and running again with "Tiny Järvafält" as the latest addition – Go have a look and tell me what you think.
"We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried, most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita. Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and to impress him takes on his multi-armed form and says, 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.' I suppose we all thought that, one way or another." /Robert Oppenheimer on witnessing the first thermonuclear detonation in history. |
05-30-2008, 04:13 PM | #1666 |
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Originally posted by Tiny Turtle:
You mean like an army of Cerith snails?
Reasons people don't watch Star Trek:
60% - It’s for nerds. 39% - The show’s stupid. 01% - My parents were killed by Klingons and it's still too painful. |
06-02-2008, 05:01 PM | #1667 |
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I thought I heard (or maybe even read here somewhere) that the fish will be getting improved AI that will make them act even more realistic - Have you considered adding a life cycle to the fish as well? Maybe have them mate, grow old, float at the top of the tank for a bit and so on. I'm sure it would be a pretty big task but might be a neat pay off! =D (Just as long as we still don't have to 'clean the tank'!) Maybe in MA4 or 5 you can even add realistic smell (my cat would go nuts)!
}<)));>
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06-02-2008, 07:57 PM | #1668 |
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Float at the top of the tank for a bit? And then they get better?
Jim Sachs
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06-02-2008, 11:49 PM | #1669 |
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Originally posted by Jim Sachs:
Float at the top of the tank for a bit? And then they get better?
-after thought- If you do decide to go with this idea at some point, you should probably make it optional via a check box or something like that. I've seen some people actually disguise this screen saver to look like a real tank - and they may not like the idea as much as some other might.
}<)));>
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06-03-2008, 07:05 AM | #1670 |
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"Marine Aquarium 3 - Now with optional DEATH!" Sorry, not gonna happen.
Update: I'm still having trouble getting the starfish working properly in the new tank. For the past week, I've been very close to finding the problem, but each day it eludes me. Jury duty today.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium |
06-03-2008, 10:00 AM | #1671 |
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Mr. Sachs and Jury Duty
Thank you Mr. Sachs.
Besides designing the best simulated aquarium available, you also attend jury duty. Too many people will use any excuse they can think of to get out of serving. You are setting a good example for other citizens to follow . |
06-03-2008, 10:29 PM | #1672 |
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I didn't get assigned to a case today. They have me tomorrow and Thursday, then I can't be called for two years.
Jim Sachs
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06-04-2008, 01:24 AM | #1673 |
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I had it the first of this year and was assigned two cases. One I was an alternate juror and the other was settled out of court about an hour before it was scheduled to start.
LB
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06-04-2008, 05:07 AM | #1674 |
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In the UK you get 2 weeks straight (or at least you did last time I was called)...
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06-04-2008, 07:10 AM | #1675 |
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Here, every county can make their own rules. I must admit that Jackson County makes it as pleasant as possible, and many of the jurors ask when they can do it again.
I was surprised by some of the statistics given by a judge during orientation. By far, the most common criminal case is "Driving Under the Influence". The second is Domestic Violence, which is almost always fueled by alcohol or drugs. Third is robbery or burglary (usually to support a drug habit). It seems that crime would be almost nonexistant if it weren't for substances that people ingest to intentionally make themselves stupid. MA3 update: The starfish is still not totally under control, but at least it's remaining above the gravel now. Prolific is hard at work designing the Fish Picker interface, and some other items.
Jim Sachs
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06-04-2008, 07:31 AM | #1676 |
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I seem to remember having a lot of free time whilst waiting around. - Did you take a lap-top? - You could have passed judgement on two things at once! - A drug addict for stupidity, and a starfish for going walkabout.
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06-04-2008, 09:36 AM | #1677 |
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I thought about, but I've never really been able to get any work done on my laptop. It's also very hard to bring anything in to the court building, with all the security screening.
Jim Sachs
Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium |
06-10-2008, 11:48 AM | #1678 |
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note for jim
just wanted to toss another note of encouragement out there. Excited for the beta and looking forward to more years of viewing enjoyment and serenity. :-D
Keep up the great work Jim!!!! -alex |
06-10-2008, 01:12 PM | #1679 |
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Last night I got the starfish under control. At the moment it's confined to the floor on the far left side of the tank. It can't go on the glass yet, because I need to write a transition routine. In the old program, it would wait until the lights went fully dark before jumping on or off the glass, but the new program doesn't have a full-dark mode.
Jim Sachs
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06-10-2008, 05:56 PM | #1680 |
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Will the starfish 'jump' onto the side like in MA2.6 or with the new 3D routines will it be able to slowly 'crawl' up onto the glass.
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