Adam Betts's Comments:
Cameron Westland
This is something I’d enjoy seeing a few times a day but I’m not so sure if it can be anything more than just a gimmick. Most people prefer to have a flat and static desktop so they can focus on whatever they’re working on. I haven’t met anyone who actually use “Change picture every X sec/min/hour” feature in Desktop preference pane or even screensaver behind the desktop on a daily basis so it’s hard to believe that this product will still have its uses after the hype wears off.
From my experience as a pixel artist for Meteorologist app, one thing worth noting is how monster this project will be for artists. Tons of layers, detailed & high resolution weather effect graphics for each weather level. Apple’s 30 inch display features a massive 2560 x 1600 resolution so artists are going to have to work at that resolution first then scale it down. Also not to mention that not everyone have the same taste, some prefer cartoon graphic, others prefer photo-realistic so you’re going to need 2-3 different weather skin set for 1.0 release.
Andrew Wilson
From the beginning this idea really captivated me and I was hoping Andrew will expand his idea as we get closer to the final but so far there’s little to no progression. Lack of solid desktop mockup and expanded description really hurt this idea.
What I’m hoping to see is something similar to After Dark Screensavers’ Bad Dog (anyone remember that screensaver?) but with live desktop interactivity and basic physics. I’m not interested in seeing any new characters (ie: armies, tank, etc.) I would prefer to see desktop icons as character/weapon themselves. Be creative with what you have on the desktop instead of adding non-desktop objects.
To give you a better idea of desktop wars possibilities, watch this excellent flash animation called “Icon’s Story“.
Dan Lundmark
This is the most original idea I’ve read here but it’d be quite interesting to see how developer will pull this complex plant growth/death simulation trick.
There used to be a screensaver for Mac OS X way back in year 2000 that simulates plant/tree growth called Maya Paint Effects Screen Saver X (still available at Versiontracker )
I’m not sure if developer is able to extract anything useful out of that screensaver but it showed that it’s possible to do detailed plant/tree using paint algorithm.
Several UI challenges you’re going to have to figure out is where exactly to place the plant on the desktop and how big it will be. It’s either out of your sight or in-your-face.
Adam Betts
Art of Adam BettsProbably best known for his iconic Adium duck, Adam Betts has made a name for himself as one of the best OS X icon designers out there. He most recently completed work for Bare Bones Software’s Yojimbo. View blog.