Will SereneScreen Marine Aquarium still be Number One? ...

[Jim Sachs]

Thanks, Peachy!

[spiralmonkey]

I too look forward to your next beautiful tank jim, with NERVOUS anticipation!

[cjmaddy]

Michael: - I could not possibly imagine! .... Just another of our strange British sayings perhaps?

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Before it is thought that I started this thread to 'slam' Jim in any way, let me say that nothing could be further from the truth.

All of us who have commented here, or who have communicated via PM, (of which there have been a number!), know only too well of Jim's dedication in the world of top class aquarium computer simulation. To most of us I am sure he will remain King! ... He was certainly the first, and still leads the way, for quality and perfection!

If the same care and attention to detail could have been shown to the marketing and product development, I think things could have been so much better. - IMO, the continuing success of Marine Aquarium has taken place in spite of, not because of, the way it has been brought to the market over recent years, There are so many areas in which things could have been done better, For just one example, the GUI is still confusing, with no real help for the first time user. The tab labelled 'Help' contains no help! - it is still nothing more than a list of keyboard shortcuts. (This has been pointed out a number of times. It should really be a basic tutorial, not a list of shortcuts.) And how does a newcomer sort out the difference between the two different anamorphic check boxes, - and what do they mean? - Even the default values are wrong if one of your monitors is a 1280x1024 flat panel. - But no explanation as to their use is given anywhere!

Jim, If the comments in this thread help even in only a very small way, to encourage you to rethink the struggles you appear to have been having in embracing new techniques, and returning to "Old School", as you put it, then I have no regrets at all about starting this thread! - You and others, will be aware of my opinions about how I wish various things and conditions could have been different. Perhaps that is just wishful thinking on my part, - but I can assure you that we all have the good of the product, and of yourself, at heart.

In an ideal world I would like to see MA continue development of marine aquaria, and DA to do the same for freshwater. And if some sort of collaboration could take place, then so much the better! - but I know that that can probably only be a dream ..... (no pun intended).

To end my rant. ...
It is not just selfishness on our part in wanting V3 tomorrow! ..... Though that would not be objected to!
..... Thanks for putting up with my ramblings!

[Jim Sachs]

Not to worry, Alan - my Freshwater tank is still a long way off.

I feel no sense of competition anyway, which is why Cliff's plan (though clever) won't work. Alan is a nice guy, and I wish him all the success he deserves. That's the problem with making fish simulations, no SOBs. (As in, "Oh YEAH? I'll show those SOBs!!!)

[clifdene]

Very well put

[celine]

Methinks,the DA have been on the qui vive radically of tort.

1.It will jeopardize your OS permanently:Upgrading via Internet at once and try to run DA twice if it detected your DA were illicit.

2.Furtive security registry(ies):Can't be uninstall and reinstalled on the same OS without online-verifying.-nolens volens

3.Endless build ver.xxx:Bugs-fixing,concomitants(fish,extra features,etc.,).

4.Who know what more can be.

DA forfends evil-doers congruously,nevertheless,it scares roturier as well.In cert,if you have pelvied quod supra would be moot.

[peachyza]

What??? Could you explain more clearly what you are trying to say?

[cjmaddy]

Perhaps you should try to ask your question in Taiwanesse. - Stick at it, you'll get the gist of it. ... I find her Latin is far better than mine, which adds to the interest in sorting it out, - and also improves my knowledge of Latin! .... Well done, Celine!

[peachyza]

I did take a semester of Latin. Needless to say I got more confused as time went on

[Wizwad]

I'd have to say I'm currently with peachyza on this one: huh? Someone tell me who rewrote Babelfish to mix and match several languages in the output.

[cjmaddy]

There's me trying to be a gentleman for once, and you want to slag someone off for not fully mastering our language! - And then you want to slag off Bablefish also? - It's surely up to the reader to recognise the Latin/French/whatever phrases, and sort out their own translations if required!

[Falz]

He's talking about the internet updates. I don't like them either, and it makes it hard (impossible?) to install it on a non internet computer. There has to be a better method of anti-piracy.

DA is superb but the detail on the fish isn't very good. That's the one place where MA has been amazing from the start, but since you can't "zoom" in on fish it's hard to appreciate that level of detail (but it's great it's there). DA textures just need to be about double the detail, and have some extra shading (to make the cardinals glow etc.) then it would look incredible.

I still wish either SS would add things like AA controls in the options, because you can't set these with profiles on scr files, and AA massively improves how they look. It's not a difficult thing to code either.

It's quite amazing to think that it's been 6 years since I bought MA, and apart from new fish, it's basically the exact same technical demonstration now as it was then. If someone were to write a true DX9 screensaver with pixel and vertex shaders (vertex shaders would be very useful for mutliple fish) it would blow us all away, but doesn't seem to be happening. DA isn't graphically that impressive (textures are low res and details just aren't there), but it's a masterpiece of implementation (proper 3D tank space, fish behaviour, schooling etc.). It adds so much life to what you see.

Anyway I have lots of real fish now so looking at a fake screensaver doesn't quite do it for me like it used to Especially watching my platy fry grow up (5 weeks old).

[Jim Sachs]

I'm writing MA3 in DX9.

[Marian Nichols]

If I just could get the cuttlefish in the MA, then I wouldn't choose another fish and would be so very happy with it.

[ESHIREY]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

I'm writing MA3 in DX9.  

That's great buddy. I know I'll get crap for asking and I know better but here it goes......................... How much do you have written so far? I know nothing about writing code but just thought I would ask.

[Jim Sachs]

Marian - MA3 is the basic 3D framework for all future development. Internally, every line of code, every 3D model, and every texture will be different from MA2.6. The background will be over 2 screens wide, and made entirely of 3D objects (no 2D background pictures). The soft corals will be "alive" and moving. The clams will open and close. The fish movement will be much more realistic, including schooling behavior. When it first comes out, it will probably contain all the same creatures that v2.6 has. All the additional creatures will be sold separately, in "Creature Packs". I plan to put the cuttlefish in Creature Pack 1.

Ed - I have about 4000 lines of code in place, mostly just Microsoft boilerplate stuff to get anything to show on the screen in DX9. Since it is written in DX9, Multi-Monitor support is included, as well as a "live" preview window in Display Settings.

[grape_jellyfish]

It all sounds really good, but I would be a lot more excited about it if I had more than one lifetime.

[Jim Sachs]

Me, too.

[Marian Nichols]

Me three,

[ESHIREY]

Ok, ..................................... I'm 4. Thanks for the info buddy. I can't wait to see it. Oh before I forget, With you doing it in DX9, is it any harder to do?