DeskScapes Status Report: March 1

v1.01 in development

from WinCustomize Forums

Stardock is working on DeskScapes 1.01 which is now internally being tested. The next public release will include dynamic and triggered content with it to help get the ball rolling on that kind of content.

Stardock will also be releasing an updated DreamMaker which will make it easy (full GUI) to create your own triggered DREAMs.

Regarding Microsoft's Windows DreamScene, we don't have any official word but Microsoft is aware that some users have run into problems when the default MPEG encoder has been replaced by a different one due to installation of third-party video players. This should not be a problem in the final version of Windows DreamScene.

Also, we should also mention that Microsoft will be releasing a number of DreamScenes when Windows DreamScene is officially released.  We don't have any official dates from Microsoft on the official release of Windows DreamScene.

For dynamic content, Stardock DeskScapes will still require that Windows DreamScene is installed.  In our tests so far, dynamic content (at least the type we've created) is using less than 4% CPU on average on a mid-range PC.

DeskScapes 1.01 will be available in beta hopefully within the next week or so for users of Object Desktop via Stardock Central. Stardock will also be releasing a premium DREAM on Stardock Central for Object Desktop users as well. 

Once 1.01 has been tested, it'll be released with the updated DreamMaker and Dynamic Dream SDK including source files to create your own dynamic content.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment here and we'll do our best to answer them.

 

10,657 views 19 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Brad, please send me Vista so I can thoroughly test 1.01.

Thanks,

Zu

 
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
Hey, I'm just a lowly Joe User, but if Brad would send me a free copy of Vista, you bet I'd be a beta tester . . . and buy the product!

That's how you get some of my money for wasting your bandwidth, Brad . . . give me incentives.
Reply #5 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Well look on the bright side, by the time you get Vista, the video drivers will have gotten themselves optimized for DreamScene and it'll be even better.

I will admit, and I mean this totally honestly, I really didn't think I'd end up using animated wallpapers. I mean, who wants movement or tacky animation as a wallpaper? But if you get the right one, it's really quite nice.

Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
G'day Mr Frog,

Are there any plans to have dreamscene or deskscape become a little more intelligent, and automatically pause when the user plays a video for example?

Other situations to trigger a pause would be cpu usage going over a certain percentage for more than a certain time. ie 80% for 5 seconds, indicating the user is doing some hard core system thrashing. And to pause or not come out of pause until sufficient resources exist to start playing again without any stuttering.

Of couse a simple function to allow the user to determine what will trigger a pause would be ideal

Thanks Aaron.
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Now if Nvidia would only get thier act together on drivers I would be a happy camper. Oh well...

Thanks for the update. I quiver with antici-------------------------------



pation.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Thanks for the update. I quiver with antici-------------------------------



pation.


Heh, glad I'm not the only weirdo who constantly uses that Rocky Horror Picture Show quote.
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top
waiting and licking my chops here !!!
Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Are there any plans to have dreamscene or deskscape become a little more intelligent, and automatically pause when the user plays a video for example?

I believe it already does.

Reply #11 from WinCustomize Forums Top
The nVidia 101.41 SLi driver on my setup is a disaster. Dreams run the CPU at almost a constant 100%   
Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top
SLI + Vista = bork.

Heres to hoping that nVidia gets some better drivers out soon... I'd love some of the 'old' functionality back.
Reply #13 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yeah I noticed a slight increase in CPU usage when I installed 101.41 as well. I'll test it out for a bit more but if it gets really bad I'll hop on back to 100.65 and let the beta testing be done with those that can maintain their sanity longer than I.
Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I have a SLi nVidia machine and I never see any excessive CPU usage. I can run dreams right now... even though I'm rendering my next dream (full 1080 HD).

I knew my dual-core Athlon FX and XFX GeForce would be good for something
Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Yeah I need to invest in a good CPU... Vista views my FX-55 as a piece of turd... it gave it a 4.3 for it's hardware rating, which is my lowest score.

Vista also ravages my CPU without remorse... I see it go from 15% to 85% back down to 50% and up to 90% before it finally settles down at around 20% again... and all of that to open a simple software application like WMP or even Office2007.

I guess the single core's can only go so far now, no matter how high end.
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I like the Dream Scape or whatever you want to call it, but half of the ones I've DLed, and I've DLed all of them, don't work. They either freeze up my computer or do nothing. I've got a gig of ram, 2.6 cpu, 256 nVidia 6200, over 600 gig hard drive, but they still don't work. i do like the ones that do. An example of one that doesn't, BallImpactRow.
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Any updates on the upload problem some of us are having?

Thanks
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top

https://www.wincustomize.com/upload2.aspx

Try that link for uploading. Let me know what you think.

Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I haven't tried that link since last week no. I did some test uploads for Andrew last week and from his last post here it sounded like he knew conceptually what was going on, but not necessarily why it was happening. Since he hasn't posted since I expect that means there isn't any new version to try yet.

But what the heck. I'll try again. If you don't hear from me that means it still does not work