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Aquarium Desktop 2006 released!

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Aquarium Desktop 2006 released!

Put virtual fish onto your Windows desktop!

from WinCustomize Forums

Stardock has released Aquarium Desktop 2006. Aquarium Desktop isn't a screensaver. The fish actually "live" on your Windows desktop happily swimming within the borders of your screen. The fish, rendered with exquisite detail in 3D, swim, turn, and simply look amazing.

Aquarium Desktop 2006 comes with several fish to start with. User can choose which fish to display on their desktop and even have multiple fish of the same underlying model. As a result, user can have as many or few fish as they want swimming. It also comes with a host of different plants that, like the fish, have been rendered from 3D models for very lifelike animation and detail. It also comes with multiple wallpapers, aquatic sound effects, and more.

The program is highly configurable. Plants can be sized. Sound effects added or disabled. And it is designed to be intelligent in its CPU usage. If the fish are covered (and when people are working, they tend to have windows on their desktops) the rendering goes into idle mode so that the fish don't slow down your computer. The graphics are also compressed in memory to minimize how much memory it's using.

Aquarium Desktop 2006 is a great fun way to liven up your desktop. For user who had the original Aquarium Desktop, they can upgrade to Aquarium Desktop 2006 at a reduced price and get access to additional fish. Additional "fish packs" will be made available as Christmas nears.

Aquarium Desktop Home Page

Aquarium Desktop at DesktopGadgets.com

26,816 views 50 replies
Reply #26 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Is there a way to save the desktop after you have added objects? Is there a way of auto-starting wihtout the Welcome Box in the center of the screen?
Reply #27 from WinCustomize Forums Top
For users who had the original Aquarium Desktop, they can upgrade to Aquarium Desktop 2006 at a reduced price and get access to additional fish.


I'm guessing, yes once you pay for it.
Multiplicity - Control multiple PCs using one keyboard and mouse
Reply #29 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Go to the system try object and choose "remove objects".
Reply #31 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'm guessing, yes once you pay for it.

Duh, that'll teach me to read the announcement properly.
Reply #33 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Just bought and installed. Very nice!
Reply #34 from WinCustomize Forums Top
#32....Try "remove all objects", then re-populate your screen w/plants, fish, stuff....

Great program!!!
Reply #35 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Is there a way to save the desktop after you have added objects? Is there a way of auto-starting wihtout the Welcome Box in the center of the screen?

The program will autosave your desktop on exit, so the next time you start it up your aquarium will be restored. As for the Welcome box, that shouldn't be appearing on auto-start....

Reply #36 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Why do I have about a dozen anchors and how can I get rid of them?

You shouldn't be seeing this on a new install. You may want to try uninstalling and reinstalling the program since you mentioned you're only seeing the Chest in your list.

Reply #37 from JoeUser Forums Top
Looks great and would love to buy it. Look foward to it, specially with the new fish sets. Hope they add some other creatures like sharks, maybe some jellyfish and a crab or lobster running at the buttom of the screen once in a while. Another idea would be to have the fish once in a while run from the sceen when you move the mouse or click. Kinda like when you touch a real aquarium and the fish run and hide. Kinda gives it more realism.
Reply #38 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Looks great and would love to buy it. Look foward to it, specially with the new fish sets. Hope they add some other creatures like sharks, maybe some jellyfish and a crab or lobster running at the buttom of the screen once in a while. Another idea would be to have the fish once in a while run from the sceen when you move the mouse or click. Kinda like when you touch a real aquarium and the fish run and hide. Kinda gives it more realism.


Those are EXCELLENT ideas, DJBandit :o) I just bought the AD proggie (I was going to get it earlier this year when I got Natural Desktop but ran out of funds at the time..lol), and I love it so far. The fact that the screen is the "aquarium" should be made more noticeable, though, I think. Having the fish stop and "hover" at the right or left side of my screen is a bit disconcerting, but if there was a "tank" edge border visible it might make more sense. Maybe adding a partial lid image to the wall paper would also make it seem more like it's an aquarium. I would love to see more salt water items available (fish, sponges, jelly fish, anemone, etc.). I didn't care for the chest or bottle images (the chest especially since it didn't seem to look "real" like the anchors, log, plants, etc.) It appeared to be drawn by a very talented child, but didn't seem to have the same depth and look/feel to it as the other objects.
DD
DD

Posted via WinCustomize Browser/Stardock Central
Reply #39 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I just purchased it, but the download link isn't working.
Reply #40 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Ok I got it working now. Just used SC like I should have to begin with.
Reply #42 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Well interesting software. I like it. However I unloaded it did some other chores and then ran the Aquarium Desktop again. This time I had a whole bunch of anchors and the fish count was off from when I unloaded it. Not a problem as I removed all. However I think this is a bug that it repopulates with and over abundance of objects when it gets reloaded. Also the wallpapers dont load. I have to do into display properties and reset the images there.

Overall fun to watch. My co-workers comment on it when they come over to my cube.
Reply #43 from WinCustomize Forums Top
This is excellent, but im having some issues similar to some mentioned above, as in
1. Its not saving my setup, when it restarts its got a few objects and loads of fish that i didnt choose.
2. Welcome screen coming up all the time on Auto-Load
3. When i try to remove items (by either using aquarium splash dialog or right clicking system tray) its not letting me. When i use the built in dialog nothing happens, when i use system tray i get a small menu with hide, close, about and something else in it?
4. Cant close it using unload from system tray menu

Im gonna try downloading it again to see what happens, this is all very strange...

Ronan
Reply #44 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Question: Are any of the backgrounds for multiple monitor setups? Or is it the same on both monitors (tiled)?
Thanks
Reply #45 from WinCustomize Forums Top
1. Its not saving my setup, when it restarts its got a few objects and loads of fish that i didnt choose.
2. Welcome screen coming up all the time on Auto-Load
3. When i try to remove items (by either using aquarium splash dialog or right clicking system tray) its not letting me. When i use the built in dialog nothing happens, when i use system tray i get a small menu with hide, close, about and something else in it?
4. Cant close it using unload from system tray menu

Ditto everything you just said.

Reply #46 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Question: Are any of the backgrounds for multiple monitor setups? Or is it the same on both monitors (tiled)?

They are only single monitor backgrounds.
Reply #47 from WinCustomize Forums Top
OK ive just downloaded and installed it again and the same is happening as i mentioned in Post #43... I think, no actually i dont think anything, thats all. Ill keep an eye on this thread and see how things go. Im disappointed, i love fish!

Fish Ro
Reply #48 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hmm, I'll pass this onto the developer so we can look into these problems.
Reply #49 from WinCustomize Forums Top
1. Its not saving my setup, when it restarts its got a few objects and loads of fish that i didnt choose.
2. Welcome screen coming up all the time on Auto-Load
3. When i try to remove items (by either using aquarium splash dialog or right clicking system tray) its not letting me. When i use the built in dialog nothing happens, when i use system tray i get a small menu with hide, close, about and something else in it?
4. Cant close it using unload from system tray menu

Ditto everything you just said.


The desktop is not saving itself when the program is shut down when Windows restarts. The Welcome dialog will also show up upon restart. If you unload Aquarium manually, the desktop is saved and the dialog does not show up with auto-start. Apparently, the program is not shutting down properly when it is closed by Windows. I am also having the multitude of anchors problem. The version of the program in Stardock Central seems to be buggier than the one from the purchase email link. Are they the same version?
Reply #50 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Incidentally, the firt time i downloaded it, it was from the purchase Email, the second time was from Stardock Central...if that makes any difference. The problems im having seem to be identical in either case. I got Windows XP SP2 going on also...in case that matters...

Ro