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Main forum => Beta Tests => Topic started by: ampos on 2010-Oct-09

Title: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-09
SANDSCAPE

My very first iAPP, I hope next week to be sent to the appstore.

This is the app compiled for Windows:

http://www.ampostata.org/Sandscape/Sandscape.rar

This program is based in the frames full of sand you can find in fairs and 1€-shops.

-You can change color, and drag color bars.

-change background

-add clip bits (place, scale, rotate, using 2nd mouse button to simulate multitouch)

-Snow On/Off

You can save a screenshoot using S key or pressing in top left corner. Why dont you upload here some of your screenshoot? It could be cool to see what are you getting.

PS: where are iPhone "savebmp" stored, and how to access them?
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Scott_AW on 2010-Oct-09
Nice effect, could use some more extras to make it a little more fun to play with, otherwise it's pretty cool.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-09
Quote from: Scott_AW on 2010-Oct-09
Nice effect, could use some more extras to make it a little more fun to play with, otherwise it's pretty cool.

Any ideas are wellcomed.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Ian Price on 2010-Oct-09
It's a nice app (and something I did on the Amiga many years ago), but it's really painfully slow and boring.

I really can't see anyone spending their time completing a full screen with the sand as it is.

You have several options here to make it more interesting -

1. Make the sand particles bigger, so you reduce the time it takes to complete - still boring, but done quicker.
2. Include a random sand dropper - not like you have now. Make it change sand colour after a set or random time.
3. Have more sand falling at a time.
4. Introduce ornaments - let the player place items onto the screen (cacti, bones, moon buggies, houses, mushrooms etc.)
5. Have a background picture - moonscape, seascape etc.
6. Play music/sfx

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head. I'm sure you can think of others that would add significantly to this, but I wouldn;t waste too much development time on it - it's an interactive ornament and probably of limited interest to the majority of iPhod owners. I'm sure it would shift though - I'd buy a copy, if it works the way i see it in my head! :)
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-11
Please, check new version (same link).

It does the same, but in a different way.

Some of your ideas were on my mind.

I think I will change the name to "snowscape", as you will see if you test the new version.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: erico on 2010-Oct-11
nice app, here are my thoughts...

- neutral background, go for grey 126, if the idea is to fill the screen, black colors suffer from black background, optional background pictures maybe?

-precision, maybe a flow control? fast slow?

-interface is nice, but to switch to another screen kind of burns the sensation of construction something, or it's just me, what about an interface like sculptris?

nice job!
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: erico on 2010-Oct-11
back again, with a little pic...

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Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Scott_AW on 2010-Oct-11
That's a pretty epic pic.

I like where it going, so far so good.  I'd just make the option button(gear) larger, espicially if its going to be on a mobile device where you use your finger to control things.

How are you handling the framerate?  I noticed it was jumping around like crazy when it was snowing or while simply drawing.  It could just be how the frame counter operates, but I noticed some slow downs.

Here's the system specs  I ran the latest demo under:
Win7
AMD Dualcore 5050e 2.6ghz
4gb ram
Geforce 8200 128mb

My dad's computer, my home computer has a better video card despite being inferior in every other way.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-11
The slowness seems something relate to alphamode -1 and color-changing.

Por the dots I use polyvector on white sprites. I use the same polyvector to chage sprite colors.

On my PC it always run fine.

But on the iphone... if the drops are white, it runs fine, but as soon as I change color, it falls to floor.

I am going to make some test, but I am almost sure it is related to this, alphamode+color changing. At least on iPhone.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-12
There is a new version. Same link.

-Some backgrounds
-Music
-Intro
-Fixed speed issues?
-Save images with "s" or at top left corner
-snow
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-12
Quote from: erico on 2010-Oct-11
back again, with a little pic...

Nice image!
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Cliff3D on 2010-Oct-12
Interesting. I don't know how much it would improve the application, but I'd be interested in haivng an "Auto" mode - where a routine in the program attempts to re-create one of the background images (presumably with the background showing) by dropping snow/sand/particles of the closest colour from a random height above the snowline.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: monono on 2010-Oct-12
QuoteThere is a new version. Same link.
What an improvement!
I downloaded the first version. First I wanted to post that it is boring, because the same reasons the others alread said. As there were so many others saying the same I decided not to. But now it is great! It all comes together in a zen-like expirience. The music, the artwork and the minimal activity works for me. Something between trance and a flow-effect.
The only thing which now interrupts that is changing colors or background. And it is not bad as it is. The discussion how to not to interrupt that expirience is on very high level of design, I think. Maybe a kind of random mode, or a smoother menue that is not that interruptive.
I wish you luck.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: erico on 2010-Oct-13
I agree with cliff3d, an auto mode should be nice.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-13
An auto mode was planned, but not to recreate a background. I didnt see many sense to this (sorry guys).
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: erico on 2010-Oct-13
oops, didn't mean to recreate background,
I meant an auto mode that could simulate the air bubbles at the top dropping different tone of sand colors... like the original one.
I guess this app replicates those flat water aquariums that drop colored sands over bubbles right?
Maybe having the bubbles as collision objects and bending the i-pad sideways moves the bubbles so to affect sand falling could add to what you have so far! didn't check last version yet, will do soon...cheers!
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Cliff3D on 2010-Oct-13
Quote from: ampos on 2010-Oct-13
An auto mode was planned, but not to recreate a background. I didnt see many sense to this (sorry guys).

A demo mode, or just for a zen-like trance. It reminded me of the kind of cleverer screen saver that used to entrance me in my younger days - an After Dark fractal-based screensaver did more to amuse than to extend my CRT lifespan :)
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-13
Note taken, will keep it for 1.1  :D
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Cliff3D on 2010-Oct-13
Oh, it still might be a bad idea ;)

IMHO you'd have to weigh up the "Hey, cool!" mesmeric effect against the possible loss of a sense of achievement others feel at producing a worthwhile picture themselves, by hand. There's a (small) danger that they will feel less chanllenged/rewarded if there's an easy "auto" function. I don't know the marketplace well enough to even guess!
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-13
Quote from: monono on 2010-Oct-12
QuoteThere is a new version. Same link.
What an improvement!
I downloaded the first version. First I wanted to post that it is boring, because the same reasons the others alread said. As there were so many others saying the same I decided not to. But now it is great! It all comes together in a zen-like expirience. The music, the artwork and the minimal activity works for me. Something between trance and a flow-effect.
The only thing which now interrupts that is changing colors or background. And it is not bad as it is. The discussion how to not to interrupt that expirience is on very high level of design, I think. Maybe a kind of random mode, or a smoother menue that is not that interruptive.
I wish you luck.

You had a PM!  :-[
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-14
I need someone to make backgrounds and clips for this app...  :'(

:nw:
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Cliff3D on 2010-Oct-14
Landscapes, things like that? Cartoon/comic characters? Nothing too saucy I imagine (I can see Apple rejecting it if things are too spicy)?

What resolution? I'll see if I can knock something up in the next couple of days, if I may.

Here's a couple of rather quick examples just thrown together - nearby landscapy scene rather than long distance, and a toonish character. Obviously, at least the toon scene would probably need a lot of filling out (a scene to contain the character, at least the room and perhaps a blackboard with scientific scribbles on it, or something in a thought bubble).

Ideas to use as a launching pad e.g. "No, more like..." - I cannot stress how much these are NOT finished images, just thrown together quickly to respond to this thread.

Cheers,

Cliff


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Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Cliff3D on 2010-Oct-14
This might be humerous, or topical, or something. I mostly find images interesting when they contain either beauty or some kind of message - even (especailly?) an ambiguous message. This is certainly A direction that an Einstein image could go in as it's developed.


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Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Scott_AW on 2010-Oct-15
Be interesting if there could be hidden messages/shapes that get revealed as you fill the screen.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: matchy on 2010-Oct-15
The app is cool. I like Scott_AW's idea of revealing a shapes message over time, such as the preset text or clock time.  :good:
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Scott_AW on 2010-Oct-15
Could be a fun way to send special messages to others too.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-15
New version.

-You can change color, and drag color bars.

-change background

-add clip bits (place, scale, rotate, using 2nd mouse button to simulate multitouch)

-Snow On/Off

You can save a screenshoot using S key or pressing in top left corner. Why dont you upload here some of your screenshoot? It could be cool to see what are you getting.

Now you can place clips on the screen. You can simulate a 2nd mouse touch with 2nd mosue button.

Musician needed.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Cliff3D on 2010-Oct-15
LOL love the "Snow" function. Bug: If you change the colour with "Snow" on, the snow does not change colour until you turn "Sno2 off then on again. Otherwise, it's a neat "Auto" feature.
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: ampos on 2010-Oct-15
Not a bug, it is designed that way. So you can drop snow in a different color of the auto-snow.

Stop chit-chatting and go to work now!
Title: Re: Sandscape
Post by: Cliff3D on 2010-Oct-15
Ah, cool! I hadn't tried that. Lovely.


I'm working, I'm working!



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