What's in store for 2004

basser1 · 12-21-2003, 08:40 PM

Happy Holidays all! With 2003 coming to a fast close, I was wondering if all of us ma2 users could get some idea(s) as to what 2004 holds in store for any new stuff. Maybe Santa will be good to us?

Jim Sachs · 12-22-2003, 09:39 AM

Well, we don't want to make a big deal out of it, but there's a minor update in the works in which I'm replacing the 5 fish which I didn't create. They will be the same species, since they are already on the box, but rebuilt from the ground up. I think Prolific might be adding a couple of interface improvements, too.

This should be available in January.

Quick Death · 12-22-2003, 11:31 AM

nonono work on Freshwater instead :-)

Jim Sachs · 12-22-2003, 03:34 PM

You don't want a free update to MA?

Enigma · 12-22-2003, 03:51 PM

I would love a free update! I have customers coming into the store on a weekly basis looking for news and updates for MA. (I can't understand why they can't just come to the forum. It's the best forum on the net in my humble opinion.)

As much as I would love to see FA, it will be nice to give them something new on the existing product.

Wizwad · 12-22-2003, 04:21 PM

I'd certainly like an update on those 5 MA2 fish - they may be very nice 'n' all, but they're just not as good as yours Jim. It's probably the way Prolific modelled the eyes. Nice try, but no cigar. I'm really looking forward to the remodelled versions.

Quick Death · 12-22-2003, 05:45 PM

I'd rather see a new product and then updates on old stuff . . . com'on so close with the Freshwater and prolific's version just made me drool for yours!

qbus · 12-22-2003, 06:03 PM

will the update have the widescreen built in?

i never really asked about it widescreen befor but for xmas i getting/got a nice screen

feldon34 · 12-22-2003, 07:24 PM

Widescreen is in Prolific's hands, where it has remained since October 2002.

12-22-2003, 08:55 PM

I'll happily accept five fish by the master. But what I'm really waiting for is a tank of mini-dinosaurs.

Seriously, with the animations already existing (as per the Jurassic Park series), I'm curious why someone hasn't come up with such a thing. Or is it there and I just don't know about it?
Anyway, anything you do, Jim, is fine by me. I'm just glad you didn't give up and chuck it all after all the problems you've had these past few months.

GreenHsiF · 12-22-2003, 10:01 PM

Thats great news Jim,thank you.

James · 12-23-2003, 02:17 AM

Originally posted by klyntun
I'll happily accept five fish by the master. But what I'm really waiting for is a tank of mini-dinosaurs.
Seriously, with the animations already existing (as per the Jurassic Park series), I'm curious why someone hasn't come up with such a thing. Or is it there and I just don't know about it?

There are such screensaver out there I beleive, I once encounter it when I'm search other aquarium SS, and I remember the one I found is just layers of BMP fish drag across the screen with ugly bubble, then I found a link to other screensaver created by the same company and that one is a dinosaurs one, I also remeber if u r paid customer, u can activate the T-Rex and other cool feature....

I'll try to find out the website for u.....

drfish · 12-23-2003, 06:54 AM

http://www.geliosoft.com/adino/

James · 12-23-2003, 02:51 PM

Originally posted by drfish
http://www.geliosoft.com/adino/

Thx Doc, that's the one I'm talking about!!!

12-24-2003, 12:51 AM

drfish and James,
Thanks for the tip. I checked out the Dino screensaver. There is definitely potential there, but unfortunately it is not nearly realistic enough to satisfy me. Maybe in a few years an acceptable one will come out, when someone with Jim's skill, and who really loves dinosaurs develops it.

kona001 · 01-09-2004, 02:29 AM

Yeah, I checked that screensaver out just for fun. They must have given up on it.

What they should do is a virtual lizrd pet like a Bearded Dragon where you feed it. Something realistic and not cheesy looking like the tarantulas screensaver I've seen

kona001 · 01-09-2004, 02:31 AM

James, have you downloaded and tested any really good non-aquarium screensavers out there recently. If so, send me the links.

Tiny Turtle · 01-09-2004, 04:33 AM

Clint,
I just re-read your post above about the animations already existing so why can't they make a SS out of it. Well, the greatness of Mr. Sachs' work isn't so much how realistic the fish appear, but more that they can look like that on your or mine computer. Compared to 3D objects in movies, the SS fish are mede up of amazingly few polygons (cue for Morgan to post the polygon count again) and still manage to look like the real thing.
Now a dinosaur is just so much more complex an object which might explain why Spielberg & Co didn't port their T-Rex to a ScreenSaver...

/Tiny Polygon Count

Imagine a "Steven Spielberg Screen Saver Studio", – Logical acronym SSSSS

Jim Sachs · 01-09-2004, 09:52 AM

The fish are 270 polygons.

Falz · 01-10-2004, 12:03 PM

Sounds good. Seems like I'll turn 50 before we get the 3d background though, doesn't it?

Jim, how long did it take you to get the original MA up and running? It seemed to just appear overnight. And now everything takes years, I trust you have other things to do (that movie you were working on etc.). But does seem that everything aquarium related has slowed to an absolute crawl.

12-21-2003, 08:40 PM	#1
basser1 Registered Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 33	What's in store for 2004 Happy Holidays all! With 2003 coming to a fast close, I was wondering if all of us ma2 users could get some idea(s) as to what 2004 holds in store for any new stuff. Maybe Santa will be good to us?

12-22-2003, 09:39 AM	#2
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	Well, we don't want to make a big deal out of it, but there's a minor update in the works in which I'm replacing the 5 fish which I didn't create. They will be the same species, since they are already on the box, but rebuilt from the ground up. I think Prolific might be adding a couple of interface improvements, too. This should be available in January. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

12-22-2003, 03:34 PM	#4
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	You don't want a free update to MA? Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

12-22-2003, 03:51 PM	#5
Enigma Registered Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntsville, Alabama Posts: 435	I would love a free update! I have customers coming into the store on a weekly basis looking for news and updates for MA. (I can't understand why they can't just come to the forum. It's the best forum on the net in my humble opinion.) As much as I would love to see FA, it will be nice to give them something new on the existing product. ?

12-22-2003, 04:21 PM	#6
Wizwad Only me... Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Essex, England Posts: 2,584	I'd certainly like an update on those 5 MA2 fish - they may be very nice 'n' all, but they're just not as good as yours Jim. It's probably the way Prolific modelled the eyes. Nice try, but no cigar. I'm really looking forward to the remodelled versions. Mark ----------- Intel i7 12700K \| Aorus Z690 Pro \| Corsair DDR5 5600 32GB \| Asus Dual RTX3060ti 6GB v2 Mini OC \| Corsair RM850 Gold PSU \| 1TB NVMe M.2 WD Black SN850 \| 4TB Seagate BarraCuda HDD \| Corsair Airflow 5000D Case \| HP 32QHD 4K Monitor \| Windows 11 x64 Professional

12-22-2003, 11:31 AM	#3
Quick Death Registered Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: New York Posts: 106	nonono work on Freshwater instead :-)

12-22-2003, 05:45 PM	#7
Quick Death Registered Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: New York Posts: 106	I'd rather see a new product and then updates on old stuff . . . com'on so close with the Freshwater and prolific's version just made me drool for yours!

12-22-2003, 06:03 PM	#8
qbus Registered Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 14	will the update have the widescreen built in? i never really asked about it widescreen befor but for xmas i getting/got a nice screen

12-22-2003, 07:24 PM	#9
feldon34 Forum Administrator Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 10,939	Widescreen is in Prolific's hands, where it has remained since October 2002. "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

12-22-2003, 08:55 PM	#10
klyntun Guest Posts: n/a	I'll happily accept five fish by the master. But what I'm really waiting for is a tank of mini-dinosaurs. Seriously, with the animations already existing (as per the Jurassic Park series), I'm curious why someone hasn't come up with such a thing. Or is it there and I just don't know about it? Anyway, anything you do, Jim, is fine by me. I'm just glad you didn't give up and chuck it all after all the problems you've had these past few months.

12-22-2003, 10:01 PM	#11
GreenHsiF SereneScreenFanatic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: California Posts: 261	Thats great news Jim,thank you.

12-23-2003, 02:17 AM	#12
James Principal Engineer as SDET Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Was in Auckland, New Zealand, Now in Taipei, Taiwan Posts: 1,406	Originally posted by klyntun I'll happily accept five fish by the master. But what I'm really waiting for is a tank of mini-dinosaurs. Seriously, with the animations already existing (as per the Jurassic Park series), I'm curious why someone hasn't come up with such a thing. Or is it there and I just don't know about it? There are such screensaver out there I beleive, I once encounter it when I'm search other aquarium SS, and I remember the one I found is just layers of BMP fish drag across the screen with ugly bubble, then I found a link to other screensaver created by the same company and that one is a dinosaurs one, I also remeber if u r paid customer, u can activate the T-Rex and other cool feature.... I'll try to find out the website for u..... James C Chen Principal Engineer as SDET, Connected Services HTC Corporation 88 Section 3. Zhongxing Road Xindian District, New Taipei City 231, Taiwan www.htc.com

12-23-2003, 06:54 AM	#13
drfish the Doc Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Zeeland, MI Posts: 5,357	http://www.geliosoft.com/adino/ I don't watch commercials.

12-23-2003, 02:51 PM	#14
James Principal Engineer as SDET Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Was in Auckland, New Zealand, Now in Taipei, Taiwan Posts: 1,406	Originally posted by drfish http://www.geliosoft.com/adino/ Thx Doc, that's the one I'm talking about!!! James C Chen Principal Engineer as SDET, Connected Services HTC Corporation 88 Section 3. Zhongxing Road Xindian District, New Taipei City 231, Taiwan www.htc.com

12-24-2003, 12:51 AM	#15
klyntun Guest Posts: n/a	drfish and James, Thanks for the tip. I checked out the Dino screensaver. There is definitely potential there, but unfortunately it is not nearly realistic enough to satisfy me. Maybe in a few years an acceptable one will come out, when someone with Jim's skill, and who really loves dinosaurs develops it.

01-09-2004, 02:29 AM	#16
kona001 New Husband and new Aquarium Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 318	Yeah, I checked that screensaver out just for fun. They must have given up on it. What they should do is a virtual lizrd pet like a Bearded Dragon where you feed it. Something realistic and not cheesy looking like the tarantulas screensaver I've seen

01-09-2004, 02:31 AM	#17
kona001 New Husband and new Aquarium Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 318	James, have you downloaded and tested any really good non-aquarium screensavers out there recently. If so, send me the links.

01-09-2004, 04:33 AM	#18
Tiny Turtle is pleased Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 7,365	Clint, I just re-read your post above about the animations already existing so why can't they make a SS out of it. Well, the greatness of Mr. Sachs' work isn't so much how realistic the fish appear, but more that they can look like that on your or mine computer. Compared to 3D objects in movies, the SS fish are mede up of amazingly few polygons (cue for Morgan to post the polygon count again) and still manage to look like the real thing. Now a dinosaur is just so much more complex an object which might explain why Spielberg & Co didn't port their T-Rex to a ScreenSaver... /Tiny Polygon Count Imagine a "Steven Spielberg Screen Saver Studio", – Logical acronym SSSSS 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.

01-09-2004, 09:52 AM	#19
Jim Sachs Developer Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Southern Oregon Posts: 9,791	The fish are 270 polygons. Jim Sachs Creator of SereneScreen Aquarium

01-10-2004, 12:03 PM	#20
Falz Registered Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 118	Sounds good. Seems like I'll turn 50 before we get the 3d background though, doesn't it? Jim, how long did it take you to get the original MA up and running? It seemed to just appear overnight. And now everything takes years, I trust you have other things to do (that movie you were working on etc.). But does seem that everything aquarium related has slowed to an absolute crawl.