Flocks

Flocks by L Wennerstrom, D. Johnson.
©1992-93 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the More After Dark collection.

I have always loved this module. This was released back when the idea of AI on your home computer was still new. It felt like the module was actually doing something other than placing random images or animations on the screen. The idea that these object on the screen were following some sort of behavior pattern and "thinking" about where to move was fascinating to me.

Looking back, the model being used, isn't the most intelligent and many of the choices do not behave like their real life counterparts. And I always wished there were behavior options like being able to change the sensitivity areas or the randomness of movement changes. But this can all be forgiven. This saver brought randomness to new heights. Not only was every running of the module slightly different, where creatures moved was controlled by the creatures themselves.

Oh and yeah, sure, those are "polliwogs". Yeah, right.





FLOCKS (tm)

This module attempts to simulate the flocking of birds, or the schooling of fish, or other "group movement" behaviors. It's based on an algorithm developed by Craig Reynolds and outlined in his paper "Flocks, Herds, and Schools: A Distributed Behavioral Model" in the SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Proceedings, 1987.

Concept and original Mac version by Dave Johnson.
Windows version by:
Leif Wennerstrom
SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.
Richmond, CA


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Einstein

Einstein by Mark Malamud & Susan Hautala.
©1992-93 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the More After Dark collection.

I have no idea if these calculations are correct. But I like seeing them fly by my screen in some Beautiful Mind like fit of math evisceration. I feel smarter when this screen saver kicks in. Maybe someone will walk by my screen and maybe they will think I know what I'm doing.

The neatness setting is a nice touch. The sound on the other hand did not age well and can be completely muted without detracting from the saver's effect in any way.

Also, this module seems to be based on the same code as the Simpsons "blackboard" module. The text from the later can be found in the .ad file of the former. Makes sense, I just thought that was interesting.


EINSTEIN (tm)

Late one night, in between swigs and swallows of the nectar of the gods (Yoo-hoo(tm)), I mumbled, "Who's at the blackboard?" Later, between bites and nibbles of Mallomars(tm), I muttered, "How many mistakes? A steady hand?" And look where it's got me.

Original Mac version by:
Mark Malamud and Susan Hautala

Windows version by:
Tracy Elmore
SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.
Richmond, CA


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Dominoes

Dominoes by M. Overlin, P. Beard, I. Gasowski.
©1991-93 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the More After Dark collection.

I've always really liked the Dominoes module. At the time, it was a unique idea to create a screensaver out of game and there was something slightly fascinating about watching a game play out automatically on your screen. Okay, maybe I was easily entertained back then.

A small number of future After Dark modules would play on the theme of a game. It's something I wish was done more. Why not have a chess or checkers game as a module? The After Dark Games release came close as each game could also be used as a screen saver but they didn't capture the simplicity of this old Dominoes module.

Also, as with almost all the More After Dark modules, this runs absolutely fine on modern systems.


DOMINOES (tm)

Plays a game of dominoes so you
don't have to.

Windows version by:
Mike Overlin
SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.
Richmond, CA

Original Mac version by Patrick C. Beard.
Artwork by Igor Gasowski.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Confetti Factory

Confetti Factory by P. Lamoreux, P. Young.
©1990-93 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the More After Dark collection.

I love this module and I have absolutely no idea why. Perhaps it's the ducks. Perhaps it's always the ducks. The random nature of the conveyor layout lends itself to that "anything can happen" After Dark module mentality. Of course, "anything" in this case meaning what can happen when randomly colored pixels are dropped onto moving platforms and obey the law of gravity in a pseudo-realistic manner.

I'm not sure if the ducks work at the factory or if the factory stops for duck crossing the same way that hotel in Florida stops everything when the ducks walk through the lobby. Either way, this is was one of my first favorite modules and was immediately placed in my random rotation. Even today it works great on modern systems and can be found on my computer when I'm not.



CONFETTI FACTORY (tm)

Confetti Factory is an artist's conception of a neo-modern, antediluvian, post-industrial workplace.

To see ducks, wait until the end of the workshift.

If you don't like the way the ducks are piling their confetti, use the Caps Lock key to reverse the direction of the conveyor belts.

Original Mac version by
Paul Young

Windows version by:
Paul Lamoreux
SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.
Richmond, CA


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Boris

Bogglins by M. Overlin, R. Vaterlaus, I. Gasowski.
©1991-93 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the More After Dark collection.

Boris is perhaps the exact opposite of Bogglins. The animation is nicely done, the subject matter is cute, and you can have more than one sprite on the screen at the same time. Boris really represents the direct After Dark was heading after their initial release. The quality level is elevated but the feeling of random possibilities still exists.

It should also be noted, the flavor text given below does inform us that Boris works well in a MultiModule environment. Little did Berkeley Systems know that most users would combine Boris with Mowin' Man to simulate a cat being run over by a lawn mower. In fact, this combination was so popular, it paved the way for an actual (very funny and violent) module release in the Totally Twisted package.



BORIS (tm)

Boris will leap around, scratch the edges of
your screen, and preen.

Boris is a great display to use with
MultiModule. Try Boris and Meadow, for
example.

Windows Version by:
Mike Overlin
SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.
Richmond, CA

Original Mac version by Boris' owner, Rob Vaterlaus

Artwork by Igor Gasowski


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Bogglins

Bogglins by P. Sasse, D. Auld, A. Karn.
©1992-93 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the More After Dark collection.

Other than "What the heck?" I'm not sure what to think about Bogglins. I mean, it works great under modern Windows and that's wonderful and all but what purpose does this module serve? (I know, it's a screen saver, what is this talk of purpose.)

Perhaps as a precursor to "Totally Twisted", the Bogglin itself is nice and disgusting and I can respect it on that level. But the animation consists of moving around the screen, jiggling, and then exploding.

Other modules in the More After Dark collection have more complex animations so I know the technology existed to make this more "fun". Still, I like that this won a contest. Power to the people and all that.


BOGGLINS (tm)

A Bogglin is sort of a cross between Santa Claus and a pickle. He has apparently just eaten several hundred pounds of something that doesn't agree with him.

This example of Manga (Japanese-style cartooning) was written by Andy Karn, based on animated art submitted by Dann Auld to the 1992 After Dark Contest.

Windows version by:
Paul Sasse
SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.
Richmond, CA

Original Mac version by:
Dann Auld and Andy Karn


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Wrap Around

Wrap Around by Richard Lesh.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

To be honest, before starting this web site, I don't believe I spent more than two second thinking about or examining this module. Maybe it was because Wrap Around was near the end of the list alphabetically, maybe it was because this module lacks some of the flash seen in others.

But I've come around now. I really like the designs Wrap Around randomly creates. No, this is not the most entertaining screensaver in the world but for anyone who spent hours trying to get that "make a curve out of straight lines" thing working on paper, this automatic and enhanced version may find a special place in their tainted psyche.


WRAP AROUND (tm) draws closed three
dimensional loops in space.

You can choose how long each drawing
stays on the screen, the number of lines
in each drawing, and how fast the color
in the lines changes.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Swan Lake

Swan Lake by B. Resner & M. Overlin.
©1992 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

My old roommate once described the Swan Lake module as Flying Toasters for girls. Actually, that never happened but it felt like a good story and I can certainly see him saying something like that. That's just the kind of guy he was.

Swan Lake was a bit of an oddity when it was released as it was one of the first "graphic" based modules along with Flying Toasters and Aquatic Realm but somehow was by itself, separated from the others. The graphics are well drawn and the little cygnets (I learned a new word today!) are a nice touch.

Also, the speed is completely fine on today's systems. So there must be something different about these swans as compared to the toasters and fish of the same era as those run too fast.




SWAN LAKE (tm) Swans and their cygnets swim gracefully across your screen.

Try a "Synchronized" swim to impose a little structure on the proceedings.

Swan artwork by Igor Gasowski.

Windows version by Mike Overlin, SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

String Theory

String Theory by Bill Stewart.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

Another (but not the last!) module consisting of a line bouncing around the screen. I always liked this one specifically because it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not.

I'm probably thinking too much into it but String Theory was always simple to understand and gave you on screen exactly what you expected.

In addition, though one of the simpler modules ever made, it can still be responsible for some beautiful, unique and ultimately entirely too brief shapes and designs.




STRING THEORY (tm)

Original idea by James J. Eastman.

Colourful moire patterns that follow the edge of your monitor. For more variation, select up to 4 strings at the same time.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Stained Glass

Stained Glass by J. Tantra and W. Boyd.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

When I first installed After Dark, I didn't like Stained Glass. I felt it looked like a module that was broken and the developers kind of liked it broken and left it that way. Over the years though, it has grown on me and is now one of my favorite random design modules.

Whatever options you choose in the setup, the patterns generated are all beautiful and intricate and it feels like any moment frozen in time would make an excellent tapestry or at least a fairly neat Windows background.

This is also one of the few modules that looks cool in black & white and I will often run this saver in that mode. The detail somehow seems greater and the patterns generated almost feel like some weird reverse Henna pattern.


STAINED GLASS(tm) produces an infinite variety of beautiful quiltlike patterns.

The "Complexity" slider increases the appearance of detail in the image.

The "Duplication" slider controls how often the central image is duplicated in the periphery.

The "Color" slider controls how colorful the image gets. On the low end only a few colors are used.

Dedicated to Anna Benson. Contributions from Ellen Lewis, Kristieanne Jones, Eleanor Allen, Julia Kay, and David Oster.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256.

Sounder

Shapes by Rob Gale.
©1992 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

Oh wave files, with your large size and your .wav extension. Perhaps it's a testament to Windows that this module still works absolutely fine. Granted, many people no longer have a large cache of wave file lying around but Windows still installs a bunch so there's always some to pick through if needed.

Of course, screensavers are all about watching something happen when you 1. just downloaded the saver, 2. are bored, or 3. leave your computer. It can be kind of annoying to just have some random sounds playing during any of these situations especially when the list of sounds is short and repeats a lot.

Then again, when After Dark first came out, if you were crazy enough to rip your favorites songs to .wav files and combine them with a bunch of cool movie quotes also in .wav format, this saver could be used as a neat little jukebox in the days before iTunes.

Not that I've done that.




SOUNDER (tm)

No graphics, just snazzy sound.
Plays sound files from the directory of your choice.

To specify the sequence that sounds are played
use the "sequence" control.

To control the delay between sounds use the "delay" slide bar control.

To select the directory to play sound files from, use the "sounds" button. The default directory is the SOUNDS sub-directory of your After Dark directory.

Note: Sound files must be in the WAVE sound format (with the WAV extension). And last but not least, you can control whether or not the screen is blanked before playing sounds. Don't blank the screen and make people wonder what's making those funny sounds!

Note: Sound files must be in the WAVE sound format (with the WAV extension).


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Rainstorm

Rainstorm by P. Beard & T. Elmore.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

Not much to say here other than this is a very mundane module with a very exciting name. The lightening effect was cool back in the day but as this module now runs a little too fast the lightening flash is too frequent and annoying.

Okay, I have to say something nice. Well, the module does have a lot of options so there is a nice level of creativity involved in choosing the exact type of storm you want.

I feel better now.


RAINSTORM(tm)

"Lightning" sets the delay between lightning flashes.

"Strength" changes the effect of the storm from drizzle to downpour.

"Drops" will also change the effect. A drizzle will have the effect of mere mist if there are only 10 drops.

"Wind" will change the strength of the wind blowing the storm.

Original design and concept by Patrick Beard.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors but runs a little too fast.

Nocturnes

Nocturnes by J. Steinmetz & R. Herrell.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

To be honest, I've never thought about Nocturnes much. It's not the most exciting of modules. It does what it does and it does it fine which I guess is saying enough.

The title suggests this is a night scene. This means your screen stays mostly black and the saver only needs to draw eyes. Which I suppose is a night scene in a cartoon. In real life, an animal's eyes will rarely contain multicolored phosphorescent options.

Still, this saver still works great on a modern system and is not bothered by the number of colors you are using. that's something right? Way to go Nocturnes!


NOCTURNES(tm)

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

To hear the crickets, use the sound control (if sound capability is available).

Sound by Rob Gale.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Mountains

Mountains by B. Haller & T. Elmore.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

I've always like the Mountains module. When first released it was one of my first exposures to the complexity that is possible with a computer. This was like the random baby brother of VistaPro without any of the complexity.

The mountains still look pretty cool today and thankfully, this is one of those modules improved on modern systems as the rendering time is now instant. When After Dark was first released, the mountains would take sometimes take minutes to draw depending on their complexity and the system you were running.


MOUNTAINS(tm) uses fractal mathematics to provide many and varied landscapes for your viewing pleasure.

"View" changes the look of the mountains so that in some cases they don't even look like mountains at all.

"Planet" provides different planet landscapes.

"Complexity" allows you to choose how many iterations the mountains will take to draw. The higher the complexity the longer it takes to draw.

Bring the landscape closer with the "Zoom" slider.

Original design and concept by Ben Haller, Eli Meir and Mouse Herrell.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Mondrian

Mondrian by Bill Stewart & Wes Boyd.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of this module. It's always seemed to run a bit fast, even on much slower systems but I think that's part of the effect. The effect is kind of cool and a still image seems to look interesting and enough like modern art to qualify as a randomization of modern art done by a computer program written twenty years ago.

In action, I've always found Mondrian a little to hectic even at the slowest speed but I can see where some people might like it for a change of pace now and then. Also, I do wish they had added color to the module to get that classic Mondrian look. This was kind of revisited in a later module but not in the same manner.


MONDRIAN (tm) inverts random parts of your screen, providing screen-saving while still showing the Windows desktop.

The "Speed" slider controls how fast the inversions appear.

Checking "Clear Screen First" will black out the monitor before the inversions appear.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256.

Marbles

Marbles by M. Overlin & K. McLeod
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

One of my favorite modules back in the day, Marbles was a fun module to watch and still holds up (for the most part) today. The physics are a little wonky and it has been replaced by a later version 4.0 module with better graphics, more accurate physics, and customizable options.

This one seems to run on a modern system with the same speed and "accuracy" as it did when first released. Ok, so maybe it's not as realistic a simulation of a ball bouncing through pins as say "Peggle". However, in my opinion, this (along with Flying Toasters) was one of the best modules in the first batch.

Oh, and the smiley face ball was a nice touch.


MARBLES simulates colorful spheres bouncing through an obstacle course of pins and magically stacking at the bottom. As with people, some marbles are more sensitive than others.

Windows version by Mike Overlin, SAPIEN Technologies, Inc.

Concept and Mac version by Kevin McLeod.

Artwork by Igor Gasowski.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256.

Magic

Magic by Bill Stewart and Ian MacDonald.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

Perhaps a little mundane and boring for the modern screen saver fan, Magic still works great on a modern computer. However, since the decedent of Magic is built into every version of Windows there is little this module can offer of which most users are not already tired.

Still, it's a good module to throw into your Randomizer and it does seem to work well with others when added in a MultiModule configuration.



MAGIC (tm) creates patterns with soothing and hypnotic rhythms that constantly vary.

We emphatically deny that Magic synchs to music, calms your nerves, or is affected by psychic energy from the user.

Use the "Lines" slider to change the number of lines. The maximum number of lines (below Infinite) is 150.

The Line Speed and the Color Speed can each be varied from 1% to 100%.

The mirroring option reflects the pattern either horizontally, vertically, or both ways at once.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256.

Lasers

Hard Rain by Bill Stewart.
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

I know it's just lines on a screen but like the Magic module and other similar savers, there's just something cool about the Lasers module. I do wish it worked a little slower on modern systems so as to approach what feels more like light show speed but the frenetic pace does give an exciting colorful display.

The actual effect of a Laser line being drawn in this way was not something available in a module again until Magic Turtle some years later. Although other modules were able to fill the screen with interesting colored line using a variety of methods, no other modules went for the single origin point like Lasers did.


LASERS (tm)

Mulit-colored lasers that clear your screen and can create interesting patterns.

The number of lasers can be varied from 1-8.

The width of the laser traces can be varied from 1 to 100, as well as Infinite.

To hear the laser sound, use the sound control (if sound capability is available).

Concept by Bill Stewart and Ian MacDonald.
Sound by Rob Gale.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 but can be too fast for some.

Hall of Mirrors

Hall of Mirrors by Alex Zeltser
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

Not a bad module though this one was more impressive in lower resolutions where the mirrors could take up a much larger portion of the screen. Still, Hall of Mirrors works really well on modern systems when set to a slower speed and has no problem with current resolutions.

It is still kind of neat to see the mirrors start reflecting themselves and then fill up the entire screen to the point where the original image is distorted beyond recognition.


HALL OF MIRRORS (tm) reflects pieces of your screen ad infinitum in a dynamic display.

The "Mirrors" slider lets you adjust the number of mirror-tunnels on the screen at once.

"Mirror size" selects the size of the reflected areas.

"Mirror life" adjusts the lifetime of each reflection.


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors.

Gravity

Gravity by Bill Stewart & Tracy Elmore
©1990-92 Berkeley Systems Inc.

Part of the After Dark 2.0 collection.

Though essentially replaced by later "marble" based modules, Gravity still retains some old world charm of the original After Dark release. Though not as flashy as Flying Toasters, gravity perhaps epitomizes what was enjoyable about the After Dark series. Each module was a mini-show of seemingly random events that could be customized to an extent. Not knowing the trajectory of each ball released was part of the fun. See, we were easily pleased and much less jaded back in the early 90's.

I've had some inconsistency with regard to the speed of this module with it sometimes running too fast and other times running about right. I've found some success using the options below.



GRAVITY (tm) demonstrates Newtonian gravity with bouncing balls.

Original idea by Bryce Fowler.
Sound by Rob Gale.

Choose 1-7 balls with the "Number Balls" slider.

Use the "Size" slider to set the size of the balls.

Check "Clear Screen" to clear the screen between each set of balls.

To hear the balls bounce, use the sound control (if sound capability is available)


Works under Windows XP & Vista in greater than 256 colors but can be too fast.