Difference between revisions of "After Dark"
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| [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Bugs.png|160x120px]] || Bugs || 3 || [[Rob Blair]], [[Kim Payne]], [[Dana Muise]] || Bugs crawl across the screen. || 2 - Well made, but rather disturbing. | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Bugs.png|160x120px]] || Bugs || 3 || [[Rob Blair]], [[Kim Payne]], [[Dana Muise]] || Bugs crawl across the screen. || 2 - Well made, but rather disturbing. | ||
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− | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Clocks.png|160x120px]] || Clocks || 3 || [[Bob Bickford]], [[Kim Payne]], [[Dana Muise]] || A clock face of varying types bounce around the screen. || 2 - Functional. | + | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Clocks.png|160x120px]] || Clocks || 2, 3 || [[Bob Bickford]], [[Kim Payne]], [[Dana Muise]] || A clock face of varying types bounce around the screen. Updated in version 3. || 2 - Functional. |
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| [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - ConfettiFactory.png|160x120px]] || ConfettiFactory || More || [[P. Lamoreux]], [[P. Young]] || A screen with various boxes and conveyors is slowly covered with "confetti" that piles up. Funny "duck crossing" refreshes the screen. || 3 - I love watching this one slowly accumulate, I only wish it could be set to run longer. | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - ConfettiFactory.png|160x120px]] || ConfettiFactory || More || [[P. Lamoreux]], [[P. Young]] || A screen with various boxes and conveyors is slowly covered with "confetti" that piles up. Funny "duck crossing" refreshes the screen. || 3 - I love watching this one slowly accumulate, I only wish it could be set to run longer. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Daredevil Dan.png|160x120px]] || Daredevil Dan || 3 || [[Andrew Armstrong]], [[Dana Muise]] || A motorcyclist jumps buses, flames, and piranha tanks, occasionally crashing. || 3 - Humorous animations, well made. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - DOS Shell.png|160x120px]] || DOS Shell || 3 || [[Ed Hall]] || Drops to DOS and runs random commands. || 2 - A good idea, but does too many nonsense commands. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Draw Morph.png|160x120px]] || Draw Morph || 3 || [[E. Inada]], [[J. Dorfman]], [[M. Metzger]] || Morphs across various vector drawings. || 3 - Several categories, but also a custom builder. Unfortunately, doesn't have a real-time frame delay. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Fish Pro.png|160x120px]] || Fish || 2, 3 || [[Jeff Thomas]], [[Dana Muise]] || Simulates an aquarium, upgraded for version 3. || 3 - Great graphics, nice and soothing to watch. | ||
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+ | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Flying Toasters.png|160x120px]] || Flying Toasters || 2, 3 || [[Jack Eastman]], [[Paul Meyer]], [[Vann Miller]], [[Bruce Burkhalter]], [[Brian Chen]], [[Bob Bickford]], [[Jarir Maani]], [[Nick Rush]] || Toasters fly across the screen, upgraded for version 3 || 1 - Funny the first time, annoying every other time. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Flying Toilets.png|160x120px]] || Flying Toilets || 3 || [[Scott Garcia]], [[Robert Cuenca]] || Toasters fly across the screen, upgraded for version 3 || 1 - Juvenile. | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - Frost and Fire.png|160x120px]] || Frost and Fire || 3 || [[Craig Dickson]], [[Oliver Steele]] || Generates psychedelic swirling patterns. || 3 - Great looking, but slow on most PCs of the day. | ||
|- | |- | ||
| [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - GeoBounce.png|160x120px]] || GeoBounce || 2 || [[Ed Hall]], [[R. Herrell]] || Bounces one of several basic 3D shapes around the screen. || 1 - Nice shading (though it doesn't use a 256 color palette), but the bouncing isn't coded very well. | | [[Image:After Dark - WIN3 - Screenshot - GeoBounce.png|160x120px]] || GeoBounce || 2 || [[Ed Hall]], [[R. Herrell]] || Bounces one of several basic 3D shapes around the screen. || 1 - Nice shading (though it doesn't use a 256 color palette), but the bouncing isn't coded very well. |
Revision as of 16:01, 23 March 2018
After Dark is a plug-in based screen saver program developed and published by Berkeley Systems for Macintosh in 1989. A Windows 3 version was released in 1992, and several upgrades were released until the last version (4.0) was released in 1996.
I never had After Dark, but a friend of mine did, and I loved watching the various screen savers that it came with. I only had the first release of IdleWild, which wasn't nearly as interesting. Many years later, when DOSBox was effective at running Windows 3, and After Dark was readily available, I finally got to see all of the interesting screensavers with the most multimedia version of Windows 3.
Review
Good
- All of the screen savers take advantage of variable screen resolutions, and most of them use a 256 color palette and sound.
- It has several useful screen saver features like password locking and hot spot activation.
- There is a large variety of screen savers including abstract, whimsical, funny, and serene.
- Most of the screen savers have a fair amount of configuration to them which auto saves, and most of them allow a random element to their settings.
Bad
- The program is fairly resource intensive, slowing down Windows.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Screensavers
Example | Name | Pack | Creator | Description | Opinion |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Artist | 3 | B. Covey, J. Kowalski, Paul Meyer | Draws a bitmap using random strokes. | 3 - Quite interesting to watch, but I wish bitmaps could be chosen from folder. | |
Bad Dog! | 3 | Laurence Arcadias, Paul Meyer | A cartoon dog runs around the screen making a mess. | 3 - Pretty funny. | |
Bogglins | More | P Sasse, D. Auld, A. Karn | Disgusting slimes squirm around the screen making fart noises and exploring. | 1 - Really annoying. | |
Boris | More | M. Overlin, R. Vaterlaus, I. Gasowski | A kitten chases a butterfly and occasionally purrs. | 3 - Very cute and fun to watch. | |
Bugs | 3 | Rob Blair, Kim Payne, Dana Muise | Bugs crawl across the screen. | 2 - Well made, but rather disturbing. | |
Clocks | 2, 3 | Bob Bickford, Kim Payne, Dana Muise | A clock face of varying types bounce around the screen. Updated in version 3. | 2 - Functional. | |
ConfettiFactory | More | P. Lamoreux, P. Young | A screen with various boxes and conveyors is slowly covered with "confetti" that piles up. Funny "duck crossing" refreshes the screen. | 3 - I love watching this one slowly accumulate, I only wish it could be set to run longer. | |
Daredevil Dan | 3 | Andrew Armstrong, Dana Muise | A motorcyclist jumps buses, flames, and piranha tanks, occasionally crashing. | 3 - Humorous animations, well made. | |
DOS Shell | 3 | Ed Hall | Drops to DOS and runs random commands. | 2 - A good idea, but does too many nonsense commands. | |
Draw Morph | 3 | E. Inada, J. Dorfman, M. Metzger | Morphs across various vector drawings. | 3 - Several categories, but also a custom builder. Unfortunately, doesn't have a real-time frame delay. | |
Fish | 2, 3 | Jeff Thomas, Dana Muise | Simulates an aquarium, upgraded for version 3. | 3 - Great graphics, nice and soothing to watch. | |
Flying Toasters | 2, 3 | Jack Eastman, Paul Meyer, Vann Miller, Bruce Burkhalter, Brian Chen, Bob Bickford, Jarir Maani, Nick Rush | Toasters fly across the screen, upgraded for version 3 | 1 - Funny the first time, annoying every other time. | |
Flying Toilets | 3 | Scott Garcia, Robert Cuenca | Toasters fly across the screen, upgraded for version 3 | 1 - Juvenile. | |
Frost and Fire | 3 | Craig Dickson, Oliver Steele | Generates psychedelic swirling patterns. | 3 - Great looking, but slow on most PCs of the day. | |
GeoBounce | 2 | Ed Hall, R. Herrell | Bounces one of several basic 3D shapes around the screen. | 1 - Nice shading (though it doesn't use a 256 color palette), but the bouncing isn't coded very well. | |
Globe | 2 | Jack Eastman, Wes Boyd | Bounces a rotating globe of the Earth around the screen. | 2 - I like that the texture can be customized, though it would be nice if they included more textures. | |
Marbles | 2 | M. Overlin, K. McLeod | Marbles are shot from the top of the screen and bounce off bumpers until the reach the bottom. | 4 - I love the slow accumulation, and still giggle at the smiley face marble. I wish they used 256 colors. | |
Mountains | 2 | B. Haller, T. Elmore | Renders a 3D mountain scape. | 3 - Includes alternate palettes and terrain styles. | |
Mowin' Man | More | Mike, Glenn, Bruce | Grass and flowers grow randomly across the screen and are mowed over by a man on a riding tractor. Night falls as well. | 2 - Nicely designed, but dull after awhile. | |
Nocturnes | 2 | J. Steinmetz, R. Herrell | Draws eyes in the dark. | 1 - The sound effects are a good touch, but it's pretty dull. | |
Om Appliances | More | P. Sasse, G. Becker | Refrigerators and washing machines float across the screen making noise. | 1 - Kind of a ripoff of the Flying Toasters, but with more noise. | |
Punch Out | 2 | Bill Stewart | "Holes" are punched out of the screen. | 1 - Pretty dull. | |
Rain | More | A. Zeltser, M. Overlin, A. Carlisle | Colored rain drops splash and cause ripples that dissipate. | 2 - Kind of zen, but not much to it. | |
Stained Glass | 2 | J. Tantra, Wes Boyd | A colorful geometric pattern is drawn on the screen and tiled around it. | 2 - Interesting, but so random it usually just looks like a mess. Should have been given better aesthetics. | |
Starry Night | 1 | Craig Dickson | Draws a nighttime cityscape using individual dots that flicker with the occasional shooting star. | 4 - This one is very serene. I enjoy staring at it. | |
Swan Lake | 2 | B. Resner, M. Overlin | Swans swim around a black pool. | 3 - Another serene one. The swans are well drawn, but their animation is a bit choppy. | |
Tunnel | More | Darin Gurney, R. Herrell | A shifting color palette gives the illusion of traveling down a tunnel. | 2 - Colorful, but otherwise primitive. |
Links
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Dark_(software) - Wikipedia.