Re: Twilight II Press Release...

[nathan@cco.caltech.edu (Nathan Mates)]

In article <C5wqw8.JtK@news.iastate.edu> Ian Schmidt write:
>I couldn't resist deflating some of this, as a developer of modules for the
>thing.
>>Some of the effects included are:
>> - 3-D fractal mountains
>Sure, if you wait about 10 years for them to generate.  Most definitely not
>realtime like the awesome Unreal Demo on PCs.

   Yeah, but what is this? A GS or a IBM PC program that decides to take up
quite a bit of your HD for effects that look rather similar the few times I've
seen it. Basically, Unreal is as useful as a screen saver as Modulae is-- who
wants to have to manually run a program just to save a screen?

   For a more realistic (windowing environment to windowing environment on the
GS and the IBM) comparison, compare this: my Zipped 9/32 IIGS vs my roommate's
IBM clone 386/40, both running a mountains screen saver. MY IIGS gets started
drawing 2-3 seconds _before_ the IBM does, and its highest level of drawing
is _much_ finer than the highest level on 1024*768 [S]VGA.

   Sure, at the highest level, it 


>> - rotated and scaled 3-D wireframe animation
>Stolen FTA code from Modulae.  Definitely original ;)

   Stolen? After giving credit to the FTA and Joe Kohn for providing the source
to something? After all, why should the FTA's death mean that all of their
stuff dies with them-- I and probably lots more people loved Modulae, and I'm
glad I don't have to reboot my system to see some really cool effects. Speaking
of ripping stuff from the FTA, which came first: the scroller on the FTA's
Bulla disk, or your titles for ModZap? :)

   Why criticize something for being unoriginal? It works, it's cool, and I
think if you have nothing better to criticize it on, do the FTA one better.

>> - a trek through the universe
>The usual 'stars' module.
>> - several types of dissolves and static simulations
>Simulate static?  Didn't Greenstone do that on Senseless I? :)
   "Unoriginal" Same thing applies here. Did you flame Brian Greenstone for
ripping off the frogger concept? Did you flame the first person to do the
universe thing as being ripped off from from Star Trek (or whatever?) Ok, I
never sant to see a bit of dissolving or starfields in anything you write... :)

>> - snow (which can fall on the desktop!)
>Hmm, white pixels over your static desktop.  What a brilliant way to prevent
>pixel burn-in, not.

   I quote from the addemdum: "Modules put stuff on the screen, and that
blanked image may still wind up burned in (although it won't happen nearly
as quickly." If you want your screen set to black, T2 will do that. If you want
to make your GS look cool, T2 will also do that.

>>In designing Twilight II, compatibility has been stressed at every step.  The
>>Manager and Switch-It work with Twilight II, as do RamFast SCSI cards, and
>>virtually all other software and hardware for the Apple IIgs computer. 
>>Twilight II has been designed to not slow you down or the way your computer
>>operates.  A very extensive beta testing period has resulted in a very stable
>>and easy to use product!
>>As of 1.1f4 bugs I reported from 1.0.1b3 were still in evidence.

   You think you'll get more support from the author by pissing him off, or
by trying to help anything on the IIGS. Yeah, you seem to have won a flame
war over MODZap/ST, but that was because you had a product that was seen by
many to be better. This time, you have nothing better; there may be some bugs
but I've never ran into problems.

>Ian@dissatisfied.would.be.t2.module.developer.ahh.just.fuck.it

   The IIGS is dead to some. May they die faster than it. :P

> clear: I will choose free will" | Co-author of SoundConvert and DeskTracker.
> - N. Peart, 1980                | Coder and Musician for the GS<>IRC.


-- 
* Nathan Mates nathan@cco.caltech.edu * MSC #850, Pasadena  CA 91126
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