Elli’s Screensaver

Thank you for choosing this screensaver!

Installation instructions:

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop (background picture only, not on the start menu bar or on an icon), and select "Properties" from the menu that appears.

2. Select the "Screen Saver" tab at the top of the Display Properties window when it opens.

3. In the "Screen saver" section of the window, click on the down arrow (to the right of the white text window).

4. Select "Elli" from the list.

5. Click on the "Apply" button at the bottom of the window.

6. To change any of the screensaver's settings, click on the "Settings" button and proceed to the "Settings" section below. Otherwise, click on the "OK" button at the bottom of the window.

7. Ta-Daah! "Elli" is now your default screensaver.

8. For technical support, the author may be contacted at shopform2002@yahoo.com Remember, Elli is not able to provide technical support, you MUST use this email link. Other comments may be sent to this address as well.

Settings:

Gravity type

Normal: Normal gravity will cause all sprites to fall to the bottom of the screen, where they will either bounce, disappear, or 'warp' back to the top of the screen, depending on the "Screen Edges" settings (below).

Black Hole: This type of 'gravity' will cause all sprites to be drawn to the center of the screen. If the gravity is set too high, and the speed limit too slow, then the sprites will form a small, unmoving 'cluster' at the center of the screen. (Sorry, no worm holes!) If this happens, try using weaker gravity or a higher speed limit, or both.

Flock: The sprites will travel in a swarm, moving about a shifting center point. Again, if the speed and gravity are too extreme, there will just be a cluster of sprites.

Strange Attraction: This is more of a fractal approach to gravity; each sprite's motion is determined by the affect of nearby sprites. Once again, speed, gravity, cluster, etc.

Weightless: No gravity, no other affects on the sprites' motion. Each sprite will move about until it encounters the edge of the screen. (See "Screen Settings")

Gravity strength: This slider adjusts the amount of 'pull' on each sprite for each of the first four gravity types. Start at the middle (50), and experiment from there!

Screen Edges

Curved space: Any sprite encountering a screen edge will appear on the opposite edge of the screen, but its speed and direction will remain unchanged.

Flypaper: Any sprite hitting the edge of the screen will stop there, and then wait for gravity to pull it back off again. OK, not exactly like flypaper, but I couldn't think of a better name for it. "Temporary vector cessation" just sounded a little too... unfriendly. But "flypaper" sounded much more professional. (Hey - I'm open to suggestions!)

No effect: A sprite passing a screen edge will continue on as though nothing happened, and will continue going until one of the gravity settings brings it back. (Newton's first law, boys and girls... "An object in motion remains in motion until acted upon by another force or until it just gives up and stops." Something like that. I hated freshman science.) Honestly, I don't know how far off screen something can go before it makes the computer mad, so if you get any error messages, maybe it would be wise to NOT use "Weightless" and "No effect" at the same time! Maybe if there's ever a revision, I'll have sprites go until they make it to the next cubicle, and then show up on your neighbor's screen! Or maybe... but I digress.

Bouncy bouncy: Sprites "bounce" off of the screen edges. How hard they bounce depends on...

Bounciness: This slider adjusts the amount of... well, 'bounciness'. When set at its highest (100), every edge will cause the sprites to bounce back at exactly the same speed. Better than the best super ball! At its lowest setting, it's more like bouncing a marble off a bowl of pudding. Play with it, you'll see.

Complexity

Speed limit: This will kind of 'tame' the effects of gravity, and keep everything from becoming a blur. This will possibly give the display an almost 'artificial' look, depending on the other settings (sort of how it must look to a State trooper with a radar gun when everyone suddenly starts going exactly the same speed!) If you want a slow, peaceful, meandering kind of display, I'd start by using a lower gravity strength, and only adjusting the speed limit to kind of 'fine tune' it.

Number of sprites: This will choose... you guessed it... the number of sprites! The higher the number, the more sprites on the screen, and the 'busier' the display will look. Depending on your computer's speed, video memory, and color depth, you may also find that your display becomes erratic and 'choppy'. If that is the case, try a lower number of sprites, or use the Adaptive Settings check box.

Adaptive Settings: Checking this will allow the screensaver to monitor the video performance, and adjust the number of sprites accordingly. If you find that you only get a very sparse display, then the odds are that you have an older computer, and you are probably experiencing video problems with other applications as well. Try going to the 'Settings' tab of the display settings window, and selecting a lower color depth setting. If that does not improve the performance, then try a lower screen resolution. If THAT doesn't help, then it may be time to move up to a computer that was made within the past ten years!

Kaleidoscope: If you aren't old enough to know what a kaleidoscope is, then you probably aren't old enough to be looking at Elli, and I'm not going to help you any more. So nyah nyah nyah!

Presets: These are some different settings that I thought looked kind of cool. You'll find that the other settings may or may not have any affect on the patterns displayed; you'll just have to experiment.

Save: This saves the settings, exits the configuration screen, and runs the screensaver so you can see what you've done. Be certain to click on "OK" on the display properties window when you're satisfied.

Cancel: Close the configuration window with no changes.

Elli's picture: Isn't she just adorable?!)

Buuh-dee buuh-dee buuh-that's all, folks!

Brian K Olson

Special thanks to ShopForm Software for programming, technical, and creative support.

Note: As the author of both the screensaver and these instructions, I feel that Elli is the single most gorgeous woman alive. As such, there may tend to be a certain bias in my choice of words throughout this document. Please accept my apologies for this; I have tried to keep my focus from wandering as I write, but it's hard to concentrate on anything except those riveting eyes and that fantastic body.

Be sure to visit www.ellinude.com often!