Marine Aquarium 3 Comments & Appreciation - Page 4

basser1 · 10-11-2008, 02:10 PM

Feldon, Thanks for the "surprise" e-mail!! What a treat to start the week-end with!. I'm happy to say everything is working fine on my "outdated" home built PC! I have the original ATI 9600 Radeon (with Omegas' drivers), an AMD 2000-M cpu and 1 gig of memory. Looks great on my 22" wide screen monitor at resolution of 1680 x 1050 32 bit color. FPS ranges anywhere from 123 fps to 132 fps. Looks smooth and no lock-ups!

Now after I installed this, I was so impressed with it, I hollered for my wife to come in and see it! She says "very nice, now we can get rid of the salt water tank"! I said "are you kidding?" It was this program that inspired me in the first place to get a salt water tank! Now I want to get a bigger tank! Women! What can I say?? LOL!

Jav400 · 10-11-2008, 03:02 PM

Get rid of the salt water tank???

She must be sick or something, take her to the doctor.

Post some shots of it if you get the time.

lannp · 10-11-2008, 05:00 PM

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

You can always just switch to window mode and stretch the window wide.

Jim, can you please explain what you mean? The BETA#1 pans (in 3D! I didn't notice that! That's amazingly great but very subtle effect) left/right for a 1:3 window aspect ratio. Is a wide screen (16:9) version different? If you do not want to pan, is there an option for wide screen that shows the entire tank? How does the music work? I added two MP3 entries in the .lst but do not know where the MP3 should be. I can't get the MP3 to play.

Jav400 · 10-11-2008, 05:09 PM

Hit the spacebar and choose "about". That will tell you the keystroke options.

Basically one thing you can do if you want to see the whole tank at once is hit the "F" key. This will switch you to "windowed" mode. Then you can grab a corner and resize the tank to whatever you wish.

As for the music, from the spacebar choose "Music Playlist" then "add" the songs you want played from your hard drive.

kona001 · 10-11-2008, 05:23 PM

Wow Jim, What a wonderful surprise today.

It works perfectly on my new laptop and the 3D effect is subtle as others have said but easy to see when it is panning. I am very happy that it is almost complete. I like the little cave as well, nice touch.

My wife was very impressed as well and tonight I'll hook it up to the 50 inch DLP

lannp · 10-11-2008, 05:23 PM

Originally posted by Jav400:

Hit the spacebar and choose "about". That will tell you the keystroke options.

Basically one thing you can do if you want to see the whole tank at once is hit the "F" key. This will switch you to "windowed" mode. Then you can grab a corner and resize the tank to whatever you wish.

As for the music, from the spacebar choose "Music Playlist" then "add" the songs you want played from your hard drive.

Not sure this should be here or bug reporting... In window mode, grabbing corner just distorts the screen but does not allow to see "more" of the tank. So this is basically reverts to my original question about the "wide screen" mode. I added an MP3 to the music list, and when type "M" to change music, get this error:

The procedure entry point ?ARCAC3CreateCodec@@YAPAXXZ could not be located in the dynamic link library AdavAC3Dec.dll

My MP3 is not DRM protected.

I have XP Pro/SP-2

feldon34 · 10-11-2008, 05:47 PM

There is no "widescreen" mode. The Aquarium is approximately 3 screens wide. You should be able to view the whole width of the tank by making a window that is wide and short enough. You'll know you are getting the whole tank when the camera stops auto-panning and you can see everything.

At a future date, you will be able to specify an anamorphic value which will allow you to view the whole tank on a regular 4:3 monitor by having huge black bars at the top and bottom if you so desire.

lannp · 10-11-2008, 06:15 PM

Originally posted by feldon32:

There is no "widescreen" mode. The Aquarium is approximately 3 screens wide. You should be able to view the whole width of the tank by making a window that is wide and short enough. You'll know you are getting the whole tank when the camera stops auto-panning and you can see everything.

At a future date, you will be able to specify an anamorphic value which will allow you to view the whole tank on a regular 4:3 monitor by having huge black bars at the top and bottom if you so desire.

I guess I do not understand what you are saying. In window mode, the window is still 4:3 in aspect ratio. The pan is still in effect. How do you see the entire tank? How do you make the window wider? When you resize the window, you only distort the aspect ratio but you cannot make it "wider" to see more of the tank.

Jav400 · 10-11-2008, 06:21 PM

I guess I'm not sure what you are asking. Below is a shot of MA3 in windowed mode stretched across my desktop.

StuDisney · 10-11-2008, 06:31 PM

So far so good, it's been a long wait; but I sure it was worth in. Cant wait to see wats next.

lannp · 10-11-2008, 06:45 PM

Originally posted by Jav400:

I guess I'm not sure what you are asking. Below is a shot of MA3 in windowed mode stretched across my desktop.

OK. How do you change the Window Size? In window mode, grabbing the corners to stretch WILL NOT change the size which is displayed after the Timing Clamp and Sleep parameters. Where in the settings do you specify the window size? Display Settings is not the place to change the MA3 window size and I cannot find how to change it to the way your screen grab is showing. My window size is 708 x 449. Where do that come from? How to change it?

feldon34 · 10-11-2008, 06:49 PM

Dragging the window corners to resize the window is the only way I know to resize the window. I have no idea why it is not working for you. Don't worry about the numbers by the way.

Jim Sachs · 10-11-2008, 09:17 PM

I also can't understand what might be causing your problem. No one else has reported anything like this (yet). All of my machines work the same way: After hitting F, I can simply stretch the window to any shape I like. If I want it wide I just grab the side and stretch it across the screen. The instant I let go the Window Size numbers show the new size.

Rich · 10-11-2008, 09:51 PM

Hey guys, Just downloaded MA3 and it looks very nice indeed,Jim you have out done yourself

Havent had any problems with it,altho it wont run unless I have it in windowed mode.

jroseone · 10-11-2008, 10:13 PM

Well Jim, I'd say it was a long time coming but that would be a major under statement.

So when can we expect the fresh water version?

Anyway glad to see the progress you made and that you are close to getting it all done, it's simply amazing and by the sounds of what else you have planned it's really going to blow us all way.

Major Kudos for your great and hard work!

Jim Sachs · 10-11-2008, 10:17 PM

Rich - It's possible that the Automatic setting is picking a resolution that your monitor can't handle. While in Windowed mode, press the spacebar and use Screen Settings to set a low resolution, like 800x600x16. If that works for full-screen, keep bumping it up until it doesn't work any more.

Highlander · 10-12-2008, 12:59 AM

Originally posted by Jav400:

Check your drivers, and remember that this version takes more horsepower to run than the older version.

If you are having problems with your system running hot, increase the sleep () with the up arrow key and lower the framerate some.

ok i fixed it with new drivers for my Go 7600 running fine now

Jim Sachs · 10-12-2008, 01:24 AM

Could you post the driver number or where you got it for future reference?

kona001 · 10-12-2008, 04:42 AM

Jim, I have one suggestion. When viewing the beta on my dual 17 inch monitor setup like most people, as the fish are swimming across from one screen to the next; the large gap from one monitor to the next is the only thing taking away from the realism of the whole tank. This goes for every dual monitor screensaver as the bezel is quite large around the screen and the fish always get cut in two slices and warp from one screen to the next. Since I am in a unique situation of being able to talk to the creator himself, and it is always an honor, I would like for you to consider what I ask if it is possible. To make your screensaver 100% realistic in a dual monitor setup, if there was a way to allow for an overlap that can be adjusted so the fish actually swims behind the black bezel in between the two monitors, it would add an incredible realism that no other screensaver has yet to impliment (no doubt they would copy it as well). The interphase could be in the form of a simple slider which overlaps any screen from the middle of any resolution. You could call it the "bezel adjuster". Putting my two monitors side by side and there is a little over an inch of bezel so in this case if it was a slider it would take a second to adjust it and the settings can be saved. I don't know if anybody else has ever brought this idea up, however let me know if you think it is something you would consider working on at some point in time. Great job again on the 3D background, I'm looking forward to seeing the creativity of the animations yet to be implimented. This was well worth the wait.

Jav400 · 10-12-2008, 04:49 AM

A bezel gap is already planned to be added.

10-11-2008, 03:02 PM	#62
Jav400 Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Tennessee Posts: 9,725	Get rid of the salt water tank??? She must be sick or something, take her to the doctor. Post some shots of it if you get the time. Michael Administrator of Inside:SereneScreen Aquarium Forum, Chatroom, Fan Site & *Gallery* DVD Collection

10-11-2008, 05:09 PM	#64
Jav400 Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Tennessee Posts: 9,725	Hit the spacebar and choose "about". That will tell you the keystroke options. Basically one thing you can do if you want to see the whole tank at once is hit the "F" key. This will switch you to "windowed" mode. Then you can grab a corner and resize the tank to whatever you wish. As for the music, from the spacebar choose "Music Playlist" then "add" the songs you want played from your hard drive. Michael Administrator of Inside:SereneScreen Aquarium Forum, Chatroom, Fan Site & *Gallery* DVD Collection

10-11-2008, 05:23 PM	#65
kona001 New Husband and new Aquarium Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 318	Wow Jim, What a wonderful surprise today. It works perfectly on my new laptop and the 3D effect is subtle as others have said but easy to see when it is panning. I am very happy that it is almost complete. I like the little cave as well, nice touch. My wife was very impressed as well and tonight I'll hook it up to the 50 inch DLP "We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail"-W2

10-11-2008, 05:23 PM	#66
lannp Registered Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 29	Wide screen/Music Originally posted by Jav400: Hit the spacebar and choose "about". That will tell you the keystroke options. Basically one thing you can do if you want to see the whole tank at once is hit the "F" key. This will switch you to "windowed" mode. Then you can grab a corner and resize the tank to whatever you wish. As for the music, from the spacebar choose "Music Playlist" then "add" the songs you want played from your hard drive. Not sure this should be here or bug reporting... In window mode, grabbing corner just distorts the screen but does not allow to see "more" of the tank. So this is basically reverts to my original question about the "wide screen" mode. I added an MP3 to the music list, and when type "M" to change music, get this error: The procedure entry point ?ARCAC3CreateCodec@@YAPAXXZ could not be located in the dynamic link library AdavAC3Dec.dll My MP3 is not DRM protected. I have XP Pro/SP-2

10-11-2008, 05:47 PM	#67
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	There is no "widescreen" mode. The Aquarium is approximately 3 screens wide. You should be able to view the whole width of the tank by making a window that is wide and short enough. You'll know you are getting the whole tank when the camera stops auto-panning and you can see everything. At a future date, you will be able to specify an anamorphic value which will allow you to view the whole tank on a regular 4:3 monitor by having huge black bars at the top and bottom if you so desire. "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

10-11-2008, 02:10 PM	#61
basser1 Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 33	Feldon, Thanks for the "surprise" e-mail!! What a treat to start the week-end with!. I'm happy to say everything is working fine on my "outdated" home built PC! I have the original ATI 9600 Radeon (with Omegas' drivers), an AMD 2000-M cpu and 1 gig of memory. Looks great on my 22" wide screen monitor at resolution of 1680 x 1050 32 bit color. FPS ranges anywhere from 123 fps to 132 fps. Looks smooth and no lock-ups! Now after I installed this, I was so impressed with it, I hollered for my wife to come in and see it! She says "very nice, now we can get rid of the salt water tank"! I said "are you kidding?" It was this program that inspired me in the first place to get a salt water tank! Now I want to get a bigger tank! Women! What can I say?? LOL!

10-11-2008, 05:00 PM	#63
lannp Registered Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 29	Originally posted by Jim Sachs: You can always just switch to window mode and stretch the window wide. Jim, can you please explain what you mean? The BETA#1 pans (in 3D! I didn't notice that! That's amazingly great but very subtle effect) left/right for a 1:3 window aspect ratio. Is a wide screen (16:9) version different? If you do not want to pan, is there an option for wide screen that shows the entire tank? How does the music work? I added two MP3 entries in the .lst but do not know where the MP3 should be. I can't get the MP3 to play.

10-11-2008, 06:15 PM	#68
lannp Registered Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 29	Originally posted by feldon32: There is no "widescreen" mode. The Aquarium is approximately 3 screens wide. You should be able to view the whole width of the tank by making a window that is wide and short enough. You'll know you are getting the whole tank when the camera stops auto-panning and you can see everything. At a future date, you will be able to specify an anamorphic value which will allow you to view the whole tank on a regular 4:3 monitor by having huge black bars at the top and bottom if you so desire. I guess I do not understand what you are saying. In window mode, the window is still 4:3 in aspect ratio. The pan is still in effect. How do you see the entire tank? How do you make the window wider? When you resize the window, you only distort the aspect ratio but you cannot make it "wider" to see more of the tank.

10-11-2008, 06:31 PM	#70
StuDisney Registered Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: WDW/Orlando Fl. Posts: 44	So far so good, it's been a long wait; but I sure it was worth in. Cant wait to see wats next.

10-11-2008, 06:45 PM	#71
lannp Registered Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 29	Originally posted by Jav400: I guess I'm not sure what you are asking. Below is a shot of MA3 in windowed mode stretched across my desktop. OK. How do you change the Window Size? In window mode, grabbing the corners to stretch WILL NOT change the size which is displayed after the Timing Clamp and Sleep parameters. Where in the settings do you specify the window size? Display Settings is not the place to change the MA3 window size and I cannot find how to change it to the way your screen grab is showing. My window size is 708 x 449. Where do that come from? How to change it?

10-11-2008, 06:49 PM	#72
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Dragging the window corners to resize the window is the only way I know to resize the window. I have no idea why it is not working for you. Don't worry about the numbers by the way. "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

10-11-2008, 09:17 PM	#73
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	I also can't understand what might be causing your problem. No one else has reported anything like this (yet). All of my machines work the same way: After hitting F, I can simply stretch the window to any shape I like. If I want it wide I just grab the side and stretch it across the screen. The instant I let go the Window Size numbers show the new size. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-11-2008, 09:51 PM	#74
Rich this is me,and only me. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 388	Hey guys, Just downloaded MA3 and it looks very nice indeed,Jim you have out done yourself Havent had any problems with it,altho it wont run unless I have it in windowed mode.

10-11-2008, 10:13 PM	#75
jroseone Registered Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 93	Well Jim, I'd say it was a long time coming but that would be a major under statement. So when can we expect the fresh water version? Anyway glad to see the progress you made and that you are close to getting it all done, it's simply amazing and by the sounds of what else you have planned it's really going to blow us all way. Major Kudos for your great and hard work!

10-11-2008, 10:17 PM	#76
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	Rich - It's possible that the Automatic setting is picking a resolution that your monitor can't handle. While in Windowed mode, press the spacebar and use Screen Settings to set a low resolution, like 800x600x16. If that works for full-screen, keep bumping it up until it doesn't work any more. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-12-2008, 12:59 AM	#77
Highlander Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Antwerp - Belgium Posts: 87	Originally posted by Jav400: Check your drivers, and remember that this version takes more horsepower to run than the older version. If you are having problems with your system running hot, increase the sleep () with the up arrow key and lower the framerate some. ok i fixed it with new drivers for my Go 7600 running fine now Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups !

10-12-2008, 01:24 AM	#78
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	Could you post the driver number or where you got it for future reference? Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

10-12-2008, 04:42 AM	#79
kona001 New Husband and new Aquarium Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 318	Jim, I have one suggestion. When viewing the beta on my dual 17 inch monitor setup like most people, as the fish are swimming across from one screen to the next; the large gap from one monitor to the next is the only thing taking away from the realism of the whole tank. This goes for every dual monitor screensaver as the bezel is quite large around the screen and the fish always get cut in two slices and warp from one screen to the next. Since I am in a unique situation of being able to talk to the creator himself, and it is always an honor, I would like for you to consider what I ask if it is possible. To make your screensaver 100% realistic in a dual monitor setup, if there was a way to allow for an overlap that can be adjusted so the fish actually swims behind the black bezel in between the two monitors, it would add an incredible realism that no other screensaver has yet to impliment (no doubt they would copy it as well). The interphase could be in the form of a simple slider which overlaps any screen from the middle of any resolution. You could call it the "bezel adjuster". Putting my two monitors side by side and there is a little over an inch of bezel so in this case if it was a slider it would take a second to adjust it and the settings can be saved. I don't know if anybody else has ever brought this idea up, however let me know if you think it is something you would consider working on at some point in time. Great job again on the 3D background, I'm looking forward to seeing the creativity of the animations yet to be implimented. This was well worth the wait. "We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail"-W2

10-12-2008, 04:49 AM	#80
Jav400 Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Tennessee Posts: 9,725	A bezel gap is already planned to be added. Michael Administrator of Inside:SereneScreen Aquarium Forum, Chatroom, Fan Site & *Gallery* DVD Collection