Particle Fire Screen Saver version 1.1a, by Seumas McNally.
Copyright 1998-1999 by Longbow Digital Arts.
Contents:
0. Installation
1. Settings
2. Evaluation
3. Registration
4. Future Versions
5. Piracy
6. Distribution
7. Contact
8. History
0. Installation:
The install program normally does this for you, but if for some reason
you need to re-install, simply copy the "Particle Fire.scr" file into
your C:\windows\system\ directory (\system32\ for Windows NT!), then
right-click the desktop, choose "Properties", click the "Screen Saver"
tab, and select Particle Fire from the list of screen savers.
NOTE: Due to the system-friendly way Particle Fire operates, some
graphics card drivers may cause it to run slower in a 256 color (8-bit)
screen mode than a 65535 color (16 bit) or 16 million color (24-bit or
32-bit) mode. If you find it performing poorly, try switching to a
16-bit screen mode, upgrading to the latest drivers from your graphics
card manufacturer, or reducing your desktop resolution.
1. Settings:
To get to the Settings dialog for Particle Fire, simply right click
the Desktop, choose Properties, then the Screen Saver tab, and finally
click the Settings button (make sure Particle Fire is the selected
Screen Saver).
Fire Options: Click the two Custom color buttons to select a medium
and a hot color for the Custom Color scheme. If Cycle is on, the
flame color will slowly cycle linearly between the various schemes
while the screen saver is running. With Random on, the schemes will
be cycled between randomly. Random without Cycle will choose a random
scheme when the screen saver starts, and keep that color throughout.
Wall of flame toggles the constant fire on the top and bottom of the
screen. Fade out speed is the number of levels (out of 256) that the
fire will fade each frame. The default is 6, but experiment with the
extremes, such as 0 and 80.
Particles: Num sets the number of particles on screen at once. The
max is 10,000, which is only recommended for seriously beefy systems
with seriously high screen resolutions. Below that is the Style,
which includes the Starfield mode (traveling through space). The
rest of the Styles just change the sorts of effects that happen
during normal Particle Fire operation. The Normal style has a blend
of all effects, except Starfield. The Avg. event time sets the
average number of seconds between random effects (the minimum is 1,
which causes an effect every second). Grav change time sets the
number of seconds between 90 degree rotations of the gravity
direction (every 180 degrees, the wall of flame switches from top
to bottom or bottom to top).
Disable Random Text: Disables the random quips that pop up from
time to time while the screen saver is running.
2. Evaluation:
Particle Fire is Shareware, and without a valid Serial Number will only
be fully functional for 7 days. After that it will still blank as
normal, but will very nicely remind you that it's time to register.
3. Registration:
If you have registered (with LDA) or purchased (from an online retailer)
Particle Fire and have received a Registration Serial Number, simply
open the Settings window for the screen saver and type the number (be
sure it's correct!) into the box at the bottom of the window. If you
have already entered your Serial Number during program installation,
this step should not be necessary!
If you have any problems, or lose or forget your Serial Number, just
send me an email and I'll try to help.
NOTE: If you have purchased Particle Fire,
please disregard the rest of this section!
To register directly, send a check or money order for $10 US Dollars,
or the equivelent in your local currency, along with your e-mail
address (please print clearly) to:
Longbow Digital Arts
4 MaryJane Street,
Providence Bay,
Ontario, P0P 1T0,
Canada
We'll email you a Serial Number as soon as your order arrives.
If you'd prefer to order on-line, and get your Registration Serial
Number delivered instantly, please go to www.LongbowDigitalArts.com
for an up to date list of on-line retailers. Ordering on-line is
fast, easy, and secure, so why not give it a try?
4. Future Versions:
ALL future versions of Particle Fire will be completely FREE for
registered users! New features and fire effects will definitely be
added to the screen saver as time goes on.
5. Piracy:
I put a lot of effort into this screen saver, so please don't give your
Registration Serial Number to anyone else, or use anyone else's number.
Thanks a lot! :)
6. Distribution:
Particle Fire is Shareware, and is freely redistributable (as the
self installing executable file "pfire.exe", available on our web
site), so please do send it to all your friends!
7. Contact:
Comments/Suggestions:
[email protected]
Problems:
[email protected]
If all else fails:
[email protected]
8. History:
17 November, 1998, first release, version 1.0.
14 February, 1999, second release, version 1.1. Added Popcorn
effect, Style selector, Starfield mode, customizable colors,
color cycling, options to turn off wall of flame and random
quips, settable flame fade out time. Changed the particle
drawing algorithm to generally make the flame smoother and
"hotter", by not overwriting bright spots with dark trails.
17 February, 1999, third release, version 1.1a. Minor bug
fix to prevent a non-fatal resource leak.