The Psychedelic Screen Saver Collection - Version 2.0 Copyright (C) 1995-1996 All Rights Reserved http://www.halcyon.com/pixel/psych.htm By Mike Irvine EMAIL: pixel@halcyon.com This file contains the following information: OVERVIEW ..............: What is the Psychedelic Screen Saver Collection? BACKGROUND ............: Where did it come from? SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ...: What do I need in order to run it? INSTALLATION ..........: How do I install it? REGISTRATION ..........: Where can I find info on how to register it? QUESTIONS/SUPPORT .....: Where can I get help with problems? OVERVIEW The Psychedelic Screen Saver Collection is, as the name so cleverly suggests, a collection of screen savers that generate an endless variety of mesmerizing patterns. As the patterns materialize on your screen, the colors will shift, undulate, and generally speaking, look cool. Whether you're into abstract art, mathematics, or just have a history of mental illness, you'll love these screen savers. Included in the collection are both 16 and 32 bit savers for Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT. Also included are versions for Berkeley Systems' After Dark v3.2 BACKGROUND The algorithms I used in these screen savers were originally conceived as part of an art project I worked on in my senior year at the Evergreen State College. I implemented the algorithms in about 70,000 lines of Borlands' Turbo Pascal for MS-DOS and included a "User Interface From Hell" that provided access to the hundreds of parameters used to customize the image generation process. After I graduated, I attempted to make a living as an artist by selling the images I produced to various galleries around the country. I quickly discovered that being an artist requires not only a healthy dose of creativity, but also a boatload of marketing savvy (which I was lacking). Since I was having a hard time making ends meet, I decided I'd have to find another way to make a living (besides, another month of macaroni and cheese would probably have killed me). After kicking around the idea of putting together a company to do the video/effects for raves, I decided that I'd be better off getting a programming position with a company that wouldn't require me to wear a suit. In order to prove I'd done some programming, I ported some of my Pascal code for MS-DOS into C for MS Windows and sent it out with my resume. The result was the beginning of the collection of the screen savers included here. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Suggested: * 386 (preferably with math coprocessor) or better * Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 95, or Windows 3.1 * 256 color display card - While the screen savers should still work in high/true color modes, you won't get palette animation. In order to get some of the effects that they use, the screen savers use a palettized video mode. This means that colors are referenced by index rather than by RGB value. By using a palettized video mode, the screen savers can change the RGB value that corresponds to a particular palette index and the result is that all of the colors on the screen that use that index are immediately updated. Neither high or true color modes use a palette, so it is not possible to achieve the effects without manually updating the entire display. Since updating the entire display is far too slow, I didn't code the screen savers to do it. On the bright side, Windows 95 supports dynamic video mode switching which means that the display mode can be changed without rebooting the system. Unfortunately, most of the drivers that are available now don't handle changes to different pixel depths very well. Once the video driver writers get their act together, I'll setup the screen savers to change to a palette based video mode when they start up and then change back when they are done. However, until then, we're stuck with the limitation :-( INSTALLATION WINDOWS NT: To install the 32 bit versions of these screen savers on Microsoft Windows NT, extract the files contained in WIN32.ZIP and then copy them into your SYSTEM32 directory. This directory should be a subdirectory located in the directory that you installed Windows NT into. For example C:\WINNT35\SYSTEM32 WINDOWS 95: To install the 32 bit versions of these screen savers on Microsoft Windows 95, extract the files contained in WIN32.ZIP and then copy them into your SYSTEM directory. This directory should be a subdirectory located in the directory that you installed Windows 95 into. For example C:\WIN95\SYSTEM To install the 16 bit versions of these screen savers on Microsoft Windows 95, extract the files contained in WIN16.ZIP and then copy them into the directory that you installed Windows 95 into. For example: C:\WIN95 In order to get Windows 95 to use the new screen savers, you will need to select one of them in from the "Screen Saver" page in the "Display Properties" dialog. To get to this dialog, you can right click on the desktop and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu. From the "Screen Saver" page of the "Display Properties" dialog, use the drop down list box to select one of the new screen savers. The 16 bit savers from the collection will appear with the prefix of "MI" (MI Cyclics, MI Patterns, etc...) while the 32 bit versions will appear with a "_32" suffix (Cyc_32, Pat_32, etc...). Select one of the new screen savers and then adjust the settings using the "Settings" button or preview the saver using the "Preview" button. WINDOWS/WFW 3.1n: To install the 16 bit versions of these screen savers on Microsoft Windows 3.1x, extract the files contained in WIN16.ZIP and then copy them into the directory that you installed Windows 3.1x into. For example: C:\WINDOWS AFTER DARK 3.0n: To install the After Dark versions of these screen savers, extract the files contained in AD30.ZIP and then copy them into the directory that you installed After Dark 3.0 into. For example C:\AD In order to get After Dark to recognize the new modules, you will need to go into the "Advanced Options" in the "Setup" section of the After Dark control panel and press the "Update Module List" button. For earlier versions of After Dark, you will need to close down After Dark and then launch it while holding down the control key on your keyboard. REGISTRATION Registration is easy! The file "ORDER.FRM" contains all the information you need on how to register the "Psychedelic Screen Saver Collection" Please refer to LICENSE.TXT for information on the license agreement. QUESTIONS/SUPPORT If you have access to the World Wide Web, check out the home page for the Psychedelic Screen Saver Collection at: http://www.halcyon.com/pixel/psych.htm I maintain a "Frequently Asked Questions" page similar to the FAQ.TXT that I've included here with the collection (but more up to date). The FAQ provides answers to the vast majority of the questions I get via email. You can find the information in the FAQ.TXT or in the FAQ on the home page for the collection, send email to me Mike Irvine at pixel@halcyon.com I do my best to answer *every* question I get.