
DREMPELS v1.5
Written by and copyright (c) Ryan Geiss, October 2000 - February 2005

This program is an application & screensaver for Windows 9x/ME/NT/2k.  
See below for installation instructions.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: 
   http://www.geisswerks.com/drempels
   -now with "comments", "troubleshooting", and "feature requests" forums!

   The web site is THE place for up-to-date information about
   Drempels.  If your problem is not addressed in this document,
   please try reading the TROUBLESHOOTING FORUM on the website,
   and if you can't find the answer there, please post a new
   comment, and maybe someone who knows a solution (or the author)
   will be able to help.

   Please use the forums instead of e-mailing me, so that all users
   of Drempels users can be "in the loop."


REQUIREMENTS
------------------------------------------
    -DirectX 5.0 or greater ( http://www.microsoft.com/download )
    -Windows 9x/ME/NT/2k operating system
    -Your CPU (processor) must support the MMX instruction set.  
       Almost all CPU's faster than 300 MHz support this, and all 
       Pentium II or later chips do.  


INSTALLATION
------------------------------------------
All you have to do is download and run the file
DREMPELSXXX_SETUP.EXE (where XXX is a version number)
and Drempels will integrate itself into your system.

One additional thing you might have to do is to
TURN ACTIVE DESKTOP OFF (if it's on); Active Desktop
will prevent Drempels from drawing to your background
when Drempels is running in "Desktop Mode".  For
instructions on how to do this, see the "TROUBLESHOOTING"
section below.

To uninstall, simply go to the Start Menu, Programs,
Drempels, and select "Uninstall".

To configure Drempels, click the "Drempels Config"
shortcut on the desktop, or go to the Start Menu,
Programs, Drempels, and then "Configure Drempels."

To change your screensaver options, go to the
Start Menu, then Settings, and Control Panel.  From the
Control Panel, double-click "Display", and the
Display Properties dialog will come up.  From this
dialog, select the "Screen Saver" tab, and from there
you can tweak your screen saver settings.


USAGE
------------------------------------------
Drempels has two basic modes of operation:
  1) Fullscreen mode    (screensaver mode)
  2) Desktop mode       (application mode)

Fullscreen Mode
  When you run Drempels as a screensaver (like you would
  any normal screensaver), it takes over the entire screen -
  this is "Fullscreen Mode".  

  In Fullscreen Mode, Drempels behaves like a normal
  screensaver: it takes over the entire screen, and you can
  move the mouse, or hit ESCAPE, to exit.  You can also
  use many of Drempels' hotkeys - press 'h' for a list.

Desktop Mode
  However, when you run Drempels manually (via a shortcut),
  or when Drempels launches automatically at startup (if
  you've enabled this option), it runs in "Desktop Mode."

  Desktop mode runs in your windows desktop, or background.
  You are free to work in other applications, but instead
  of the ordinary static background image, you have a moving
  one.  Drempels is very CPU-friendly and only uses your 
  idle CPU cycles.
  
  When you're in Desktop Mode, you can use hotkeys to control
  it, like in fullscreen mode, but ONLY WHEN THE "DR" ICON
  IN THE SYSTEM TRAY IS HIGHLIGHTED IN GREEN.  If it is dark
  (black), then keyboard input is flowing into some other 
  application (such as a word processor).  To make the icon
  highlight in green, click on it.  You can then use the hotkeys.
  (For a complete list of the hotkeys, press 'h'.)  
  
  You can also right-click the "Dr" icon to get a popup menu 
  from which you can close or suspend Drempels.  "Suspending" 
  it means Drempels will stay resident in memory, but it will
  temporarily restore your original wallpaper, and it won't
  try to use your idle CPU cycles.  To exit suspend mode, 
  simply click on the "Dr" icon again.


COMPATIBILITY TIPS
------------------------------------------
1. If you have problems getting it to run in 'desktop mode', 
    make sure Windows is running in 16-bit color.  You can 
    check this by going to the start menu, then Settings, 
    Control Panel, Display Properties, clicking the 'Settings' 
    tab, and making sure in the 'Colors' box it says 'High 
    Color (16 bit)'.  If you are running in 16 bit color
    and it doesn't work, try 24 or 32 bit.

2. If it still won't run in 'desktop wallpaper mode', try 
    downloading the most recent software driver for your 
    video card.  You can do this by going to the web page
    of the company that makes your video (graphics) card.
   Also try tweaking the overlay filter color from the 
    Drempels configuration panel.

3. If you're trying to Drempels as a screensaver
    (fullscreen mode), if it doesn't work, try telling 
    Drempels to run in a Video Mode of a different bit 
    depth (16, 24, or 32).   If that doesn't work, try 
    different options for your Windows bit depth (see 
    tip #1 for how to do this).

4. Regardless of the whether you're trying to run in 
    fullscreen or desktop mode, if it does't work, try each
    of the low, medium, and high-quality settings.  The
    most important thing is to try qualities other than
    'high', since a small handful of video cards can't 
    do high quality mode (they run out of video memory).


TROUBLESHOOTING
------------------------------------------
1. If nothing shows up when you run Drempels in fullscreen
    mode (all you see is the little "Dr" system tray icon),
    MAKE SURE THAT ACTIVE DESKTOP WEB CONTENT IS TURNED OFF.
    Active Desktop prevents Drempels from displaying properly.
    To do this, right-click on your desktop, select
    "Active Desktop", and make sure the "View as Web Page"
    option is unchecked.


PERFORMANCE TIPS
------------------------------------------
1. In fullscreen mode, to avoid jerky or choppy animation, 
    minimize all the other windows on the screen before 
    running Drempels.

2. If the frame rate is slow, try reducing the quality to 
    low or medium.  Or, if you're running it in fullscreen  
    mode, try a lower-resolution video mode (such as 320x240 
    or 400x300).  


MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
------------------------------------------
1. while it's running:
    -hit 'H' for help (shows you a list of hotkeys)
    -hit 'ESC' (escape) to exit
    -hit 'R' to randomize the texture & behavior
    -hit 'SPACE' to load a new (random) texture
    -hit 'T' to lock/unlock the current texture 
       (they randomly fade in and out)
       (note that this used to be the 'L' key)
    -hit 'B' to lock/unlock the current behavior
       (the characteristic motion of the texture)
    -hit 'P' to pause Drempels and free up the CPU
       (hit it again to unpause it)
    -hit '+' to increase the amount of motion blur, and '-' to
       reduce it.
    -hit 'F5' to refresh the texture file listing
    -hit 'F6' to show the filename of the current texture
    -hit '@' to save a screenshot to C:\
    -hit 'Q' to toggle high quality textures on/off
    -hit 'J' and 'K' to zoom in and out
    -hit 'U' and 'I' to slow down or speed up the animation
    -hit 'N' to minimize the window (fullscreen mode only)
    -hit 'S' to suspend (desktop mode only)
	-hit 'M' to toggle global text message suppression on/off

2. keys for advanced users: (VJ's)	
	-hit the number keys (1-9) along the top of the keyboard
		to switch the source image folder from the main one
		(c:\program files\drempels) to a subfolder number 1-9
		(example: c:\program files\drempels\5).  Hit '0' (zero)
		to go back to the main folder.  (note: the default
		installation doesn't put any images in these folders;
		you have to create the folders & put images in them.)
	-hit 'a' to toggle automatic (sequential) cycling through 
		those subdirectories on/off.  (It is off by default.)  
		Hit 'a' a second time to turn automatic cycling off.  The
		length of time that it sticks with a subdirectory is determined by the
		new 'Time between subdir jumps (seconds)' box on the config panel.
	-hit SHIFT+A (capital 'A') (instead of lowercase 'a') to
		cycle randomly (rather than sequentially) through the subdirectories.
		Not all subdirectories must be present, but at least one of them must
		be present, for these features to work.  And any subdirectory that 
		is present must have at least one image in it.

3. if you ever want to reset the config panel to the default options,
        go into your registry under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE and
        delete the folder called 'drempels'.

4. review of requirements on creating/adding textures:
    1. 256x256 is the preferred size, but images can be any size.
    2. 24-bit
    3. TGA, BMP, or JPG format (note: TGA/BMP are fastest)
    4. must be placed the image folder you've specified from the
       config panel.  

    For creating textures, I VERY highly recommend IRFANVIEW, a
    small, simple and powerful image viewer/editor that is excellent
    for doing batch conversions like these.  Visit 
    <A HREF="http://www.winfiles.com">Winfiles</A> to download 
    IrfanView.  (Hit 'B' in Irfanview to do a batch conversion,
    and use the 'Advanced Options' button to do all the fancy 
    stuff.)

    There is also a program called Reptile at this link:
    <http://www.sausagetools.com/reptile/reptile.html>click here</A>.
    This program lets you create seamless patterns that work very
    well with Drempels.

5. mini-guide to invoking Drempels:
    Drempels will run in either fullscreen or desktop mode based on
    how you launch it.  (The screensaver always runs in fullscreen mode, 
    while the "application" version always runs in desktop mode.)

        To run the screensaver:  "drempels.exe /s"  (always uses fullscreen mode)
        To run the application:  "drempels.exe"     (always uses desktop mode)
        To run the config panel: "drempels.exe /c"
        To run it **from startup folder**:  "drempels.exe /y" 
          (...'/y' makes it only actually run if the "launch at startup" 
           option is checked in the config panel; if not, it just exits)
    
    NOTE: you can also run it as a screensaver by using drempels.scr 
    (located in your windows SYSTEM directory) in the normal fashion;
    it does require drempels.exe, though, which is in your windows dir.


KNOWN BUGS
------------------------------------------
1.  In desktop mode, when the monitor shuts off (to conserve
    power) and then later comes back on, drempels is gone.
    To get Drempels back, simply click on the icon in the
    systray.

2.  If you change your windows display settings (video mode)
    while Drempels is running, you will again get a pink 
    background and no Drempels.  You'll need to close Drempels 
    and open it again to get it to work.


NEW FEATUERS - v1.5 - 6 Feb 2005
--------------------------------
1.  Added 'm' key to toggle global suppression of all text messages on/off
2.  Added ability to cycle through random subdirectories under the main
	folder that has been selected.  The subdirectories must be named "1"
	through "9".  You can hit those keys (1-9) while the program is running
	to jump to those subdirectories.  You can hit '0' (zero) to go back
	to the main drempels texture directory.  
	
	You can also hit 'a' to toggle automatic (sequential) cycling through 
	those subdirectories on/off.  (It is off by default.)  
	Hit 'a' a second time to turn automatic cycling off.  The
	length of time that it sticks with a subdirectory is determined by the
	new 'Time between subdir jumps (seconds)' box on the config panel.
	
	You can also hit SHIFT+A (capital 'A') (instead of lowercase 'a') to
	cycle randomly (rather than sequentially) through the subdirectories.
	Not all subdirectories must be present, but at least one of them must
	be present, for these features to work.  And any subdirectory that 
	is present must have at least one image in it.
3. cranked motion vector gridsize up from 18x14 to 36x28
4. enabled higher resolutions (1280xYYY, 1600xYYY)
5. screensaver mode now runs in high quality (1X zoom) be default,
	rather than medium quality (2X zoom).


NEW FEATURES - v1.4 - 5 April 2001
----------------------------------
1.  Win2k pink mouse cursor bug should be fixed.
2.  Drempels will now run in either fullscreen or desktop mode, based on
    how you launch it.  The screensaver always runs in fullscreen mode, 
    while the "application" version always runs in desktop mode.
       (The "application" version is invoked by clicking a shortcut to
        Drempels, as opposed to running it as a Windows screensaver.)
3.  Added option to automatically launch Drempels at Windows startup.
4.  Added user-customizable overlay filter color (for Desktop Mode)
5.  Jpeg images are now supported (but it's SLOW)
6.  The 256x256 image restriction has been lifted
    (but 256x256 has the fastest load time)
7.  Drempels now runs in the system tray when in desktop mode.
    When the icon is bright green, Drempels will steal the keyboard
    input, so you can control it with the keyboard; when it is black,
    the keyboard input goes to whatever window you're working in.
    Click on the icon to make it green; click elsewhere to give
    keyboard input to another window or application.
8.  Added 'Suspend' feature for desktop mode (hides Drempels but
    leaves the icon in the systray, so you can bring it back).
9.  Added the F6 hotkey so you can see the filename of the current
    texture.
10. Revamped the way text messages are displayed; now right-justified,
    stackable, and with better color matching.


NEW FEATURES - v1.3 - 8 Jan 2001
--------------------------------
1.  Desktop mode is now much faster (+20%)
2.  Added U/I keys to slow down/speed up animation
3.  Added 'n' key to minimize
4.  Added 'b' key to lock/unlock behavior
5.  Added 'p' key to pause/unpause the animation (cpu friendly)
6.  Changed 'L' key to 'T'
7.  Binimizing the window now pauses the action
    (to conserve resources) (check it with your CPU monitor!)
8.  Improved compatibility across the board by reducing dependence
    on DirectDraw drivers (puke!)
9.  Improved compatibility in windowed mode by making the render
    window run in the same bit depth as Windows is in
    (Drempels now ignores config the panel selection of bit depth
    for windowed mode.)
10. Improved compatibility in desktop mode
11. Changed config panel so anim. speed has greater range (8X)
12. In the config panel, the video mode selection box is now
    disabled whenever Desktop Wallpaper Mode is selected, so
    the user realizes that it has no effect.
13. Fixed bug where if your machine crashed while Drempels was
    running in desktop mode, when you rebooted, your wallpaper
    would be bright pink.
14. Effect of the animation speed slider in the config panel 
    is now more exact


NEW FEATURES - v1.2 - 5 Dec 2000
--------------------------------
1.  Added DESKTOP MODE - now Drempels can be your windows wallpaper,
    fully animated!  Currently works with about 75% of video cards...
    the next release should be a little better.  PLEASE, NO E-MAILS
    about compatibility problems!
2.  Added low- and medium-quality rendering modes, to speed things
    up dramatically.
3.  Added high-quality texture mode (bilinear texel interpolation).
4.  Added support for BMP's (now you can use TGA or BMP files).
5.  Replaced some manual blit code with DirectDraw blits, so 
    graphics hardware compatibility should be improved (with the
    exception of Desktop Mode).
6.  Removed password support
7.  Added J/K keys to zoom in/out 
8.  Added R key to randomize things
9.  Fixed a bug with jerky images
10. General, massive cleanup of code should improve stability.
11. Things like ALT-TABbing to other fullscreen apps should no
    longer be a problem.
-Bugs fixed in v1.2b:-
12. fixed bug w/desktop mode on restoring "" wallpaper (none)
13. fixed bug w/BMP & TGA files in same dir.
14. fixed F5 key (was totally broken)
15. names of texture files that fail to load are now shown with
    ellipses so you can see the filename
16. sped up the animation in desktop mode by 60% (just the animation
    speed, not the frame rate!)


NEW FEATURES - v1.1b - 23 Oct 2000
----------------------------------
1. fixed a bug with the initial setting of 'animation speed' in the config 
    panel; for people upgrading from Drempels 1.0, it was set to 4X-speed
    by default, instead of "normal."


NEW FEATURES - v1.1  - 21 Oct 2000
----------------------------------
1. you can now set a limit on the fps (frames per second) if you like
2. more algorithms/variety in the texture movements
3. more versatile controls over the texture movements (from config panel)
4. can now control the amount of motion blur with the + and - keys
5. now using bicubic interpolation of texcoords, for the ultimate
    smoothness in rasterization.





