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G-Force Changelog

What's new in G-Force 5.8.3

Jan 27, 2020
  • New visuals: Vesica Piscis, Divine Feminine, Circular Union (Power, Fire), Curve Into You.
  • Installer for Windows now handles iTunes installed from Microsoft app store.
  • Installer for macOS now better accommodates Mojave and Catalina (to the best that is possible).

New in G-Force 5.8.2 (Jun 22, 2018)

  • Added setting 'Prevent Display Sleep'.
  • Improved compatibility with Windows screensavers.
  • Addressed JRiver Media Center crash.
  • Major updates to Windows no longer require G-Force reinstallation.
  • Working-around iTunes for Windows issue causing freeze/lockup.
  • Fixed OpenGL/Direct3D toggle setting on Windows.
  • Fixed Mac OS screensaver reverting to main display only mode.
  • G-Force Toolbar now 64-bit on macOS.

New in G-Force 5.8.1 (Dec 29, 2017)

  • Added 'Reload Audio Devices' button in Settings.
  • On macOS, added new user control over which displays show the screensaver.
  • Help windows now stay hidden when closed.
  • Fixed iTunes not zeroing audio when paused.
  • Updated G-Force Standalone docs.

New in G-Force 5.7 (Jun 14, 2017)

  • Improved color aesthetics for dozens of WaveShapes!
  • Three all-new WaveShapes in G-Force Gold and Platinum.
  • Fixed screen saver for macOS retina displays.
  • Fixed not restoring Direct3D state under VirtualDJ.
  • Smarter hotkey support for Winamp and MediaMonkey.
  • Fixed audio frozen visually when iTunes is paused.
  • Fixed prefs not always being saved when quitting iTunes.
  • Virtual Audio Cable is now signed by SoundSpectrum such that it is usable on Windows 8 and later.

New in G-Force 5.6.2 (Apr 24, 2017)

  • Added shadows to white icons.

New in G-Force 5.6.1 (Apr 20, 2017)

  • UI size tweaks.
  • Fixed debug info being printed out in iTunes.
  • Fixed macOS installer overwriting ~/Library permissions.
  • Now bundling Virtual Audio Cable with Platinum on Windows.

New in G-Force 5.6.0 (Apr 18, 2017)

  • Added Retina display support on macOS.
  • Enhanced UI support for high resolution displays.
  • Fixed not getting keystrokes in full screen mode in iTunes.
  • Overhauled support for 'UI Menu Scale' setting.
  • Album cover art animation is now resolution independent.
  • Improved quality text anti-aliasing on Windows.
  • Increased default slideshow interval from 20 to 30 seconds.

New in G-Force 5.5.1 (Jan 15, 2017)

  • Full debug mode no longer generates a debug log file on disk.
  • Fixed network-based album cover art not loading on Windows.
  • Album cover art now loads more smoothly under Windows Media Player.
  • Now looking for album cover art under WMP more aggressively (e.g. folder.jpg).
  • Now gracefully handling cover art that fails to load.
  • Fixed track animation not translucent (and other render to texture configs) under Direct3D.

New in G-Force 5.5 (Dec 28, 2016)

  • Several new outstanding WaveShapes by Jim Mohr!
  • Fixed erroneous console message "Undefined function Refresh()"
  • Fixed flashing of junk frames immediately following a resize or fullscreen change.
  • Standalone on Windows nows works with Aero's 'auto-snap'
  • Addressed fullscreen mode state issues under iTunes and in Standalone.
  • Fixed stability issues for the OS X screen saver.
  • Standalone for Windows now only changes the input device volume if below 50%.
  • More console messages when in partial or debug console mode.
  • Aesthetic tweaks to some track animations.
  • For large viewports, UI items now auto-scale up in size (UI.AutoScaleFromHeight).
  • No longer using special key mapping under Winamp.

New in G-Force 5.4.3 (Feb 19, 2016)

  • Workaround for iTunes fullscreen mode flag bug that caused cursor to persistently be hidden and ESC fail to exit fullscreen.
  • Improved 32-bit iTunes detection for Windows.
  • Improved artist string extraction logic for Windows Media Player.
  • Track text animation fixes.

New in G-Force 5.4.2 (Feb 5, 2015)

  • Added 64-bit support for iTunes 12.1 under Windows.
  • Fixed case where track text didn't always appear when pressing 'T'.

New in G-Force 5.4.1 (Jan 15, 2015)

  • Now using pixel buffer objects under OpenGL for improved performance.
  • Fixed OpenGL render to texture issue affecting stability.
  • Fixed audio processing issue that sometimes impaired live audio responsiveness when running G-Force Standalone, V-Bar, or Screen Saver.

New in G-Force 5.4.0 (Dec 12, 2014)

  • Frames are now synchronized with the display device to prevent frame tearing.
  • Now supporting VirtualDJ on Windows!
  • Now only supporting 10.6 and later on OS X.

New in G-Force 5.3.0 (Jun 20, 2014)

  • Enhanced track text animation cuing, takedown, and aesthetics.
  • All config types now loaded through the package (VisPackage) subsystem.
  • Config author attribution now appears under the config's name in the UI.
  • Enhanced track text support when streaming in iTunes and Windows Media Player.
  • Scripting now uses Python, making authoring scripts much easier and open-ended.
  • New WaveShapes from JRM!
  • The 'Meta' field is no longer used in WaveShapes and Particles since the WaveShapes package now handles configs that are both WaveShapes and particles.
  • Improved audio responsiveness.
  • Text Sprites are no longer supported.
  • Fixed Standalone issue that was causing an audio input error on some Windows systems.
  • Addressed compatibility issue under OS 10.5.

New in G-Force 5.2.0 (Mar 10, 2014)

  • Added 7 all-new WaveShapes from SoundSpectrum's very own Peter!
  • Improved stability of fullscreen mode switching.
  • Added thumbnails for the OS X System Preferences screen saver panel.
  • Inserted workaround for ATI driver bug on older Macs that was causing white squares to be displayed in track text animation.
  • Addressed installer permissions and compatibility issues under OS 10.5.
  • All python files now use 4 spaces instead of tabs.
  • Internal python cleanup.

New in G-Force 5.1.4 (Jan 18, 2014)

  • Fixed bug where album cover art would often fail to display in track text animation.
  • Fixed issue where system font names containing non-ASCII characters would cause an error when track text animation was initiated (common on non-English systems).
  • Cosmetic edits to the 'Fold' track text animation.
  • Fixed bug where largest() would hang if given a scalar value.

New in G-Force 5.1.3 (Dec 4, 2013)

  • Fixed crash issues when running multiple instances.
  • Added a button to the main button group that toggles fullscreen mode.

New in G-Force 5.1.2 (Sep 30, 2013)

  • Fixed full screen mode switching issues under iTunes.
  • Smarter Direct3D DLL installation on Windows.
  • Now correctly signing the OS X installer, averting OS 10.8 security warnings.

New in G-Force 5.1.1 (Sep 3, 2013)

  • Performance and minor aesthetic improvements in select track animations.
  • Fixed Standalone, Screen Saver, and V-Bar crash on startup.
  • Updated the customizing documentation.

New in G-Force 5.1 (Aug 22, 2013)

  • All-new track text animation, where track info is now drawn via the 'TrackAnimaton' python config layer, offering new and exciting animations!
  • Major internal change to improve compatibility on OS X systems (perceived as strobing/flashing when a large Sprite appears).
  • Increased performance for higher-end Windows systems (now using Direct3D's DYNAMIC_DISCARD flag for textures when appropriate).
  • G-Force now auto-loads QuickTime if it sees video files present in the Sprites folder.
  • On OS X, now using Apple's new flat package format, requiring OS 10.5 for installation.
  • On OS X, the install package is now signed so that OS 10.8 no longer gives security warnings.
  • Added album cover art and extended track info support for Winamp!
  • Added drawer integration support for Winamp.
  • Added help window close and toggle buttons.
  • Fixed issue where SHIFT+K failed to kill all running scripts.
  • Added track year to the track text info animation.
  • Enhanced jetAudio support.
  • Fixed the Standalone window not getting focus back after fullscreen mode.
  • Fixed SHIFT+RETURN not toggling fullscreen when the UI wasn't visible.

New in G-Force 5.0.3 (Jun 21, 2013)

  • Fixed texture caching bug, sometimes reducing performance.

New in G-Force 5.0.2 (Jun 17, 2013)

  • Fixed presets/favorites sometimes not starting when pressed.

New in G-Force 5.0.1 (May 30, 2013)

  • Fixed issue causing installation to fail on OS 10.5.
  • Fixed external Sprites folder feature on the G-Force Toolbar for Windows.
  • Fixed settings panels in the G-Force Toolbar for Windows auto-closing.

New in G-Force 5.0 (May 8, 2013)

  • All new GUI, offering a new level of customization and control within G-Force!
  • All new Theme and Category config management and customization!
  • New ColorMaps and WaveShapes! Special thanks to and BT and JRM!
  • Added dozens of new Sprites and remastered existing Sprites!
  • Aesthetic edits to existing select WaveShapes and increased WaveShape resolution.
  • Added mouse scroll and middle button support to the UI.
  • Fixed possible flashing/strobing issues in the OS X Standalone.
  • Pixel doubling is now rolled into the 'Graphics Quality' setting.
  • Major edits and enhancements to the G-Force Toolbar.
  • Major enhancements to the G-Force Screen Saver.
  • Fixes and improved support for Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, RealPlayer, J River Media Center, and iTunes.
  • Particle-only WaveShapes are now located in the Particles directory.
  • Boot.txt is now gone and has been absorbed into SSEngine.py.
  • Added debug 'HUD' to display performance metrics (via SHIFT+D).

New in G-Force 4.4.0 (Sep 18, 2012)

  • Fixed BASS config var not receiving the proper audio level.
  • New ColorMaps from BT!
  • Stability enhancements to the V-Bar.
  • Multi-display systems now run multiple G-Force instances properly.
  • Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center overhaul, fixing various issues for both x86 and x64.
  • G-Force now detects Windows Media Player overlays and offsets its UI elements accordingly.
  • Fixed install/registry issues associated with J. River Media Center.
  • Added 64-bit support for the Screen Saver and Standalone on Windows.
  • No longer using CGDisplayCapture() on OS X to capture the full screen display device, allowing context menu support and improved interoperability with other apps.
  • Improved support for RealPlayer 15.
  • Major improvements to Winamp idle mode detection and frame rate control.
  • Added workaround for OS 10.5 pkg install deficiency, fixing installation of multiple SoundSpectrum products.
  • For improved full screen mode compatibility, alternative full screen resolution modes has been removed.

New in G-Force 4.3.2 (Dec 7, 2011)

  • Now using the new iTunes visual API on 32-bit iTunes on OS X (not just 64-bit).
  • Restored legacy suport for iTunes versions earlier than 10.5 on Windows.
  • Enhanced error handling support for the OS X installer under PowerPC.
  • Stability enhancements when running under 64-bit iTunes.
  • Fixed the OS X installer not detecting if iTunes is running during installation.

New in G-Force 4.3.1 (Nov 17, 2011)

  • Several ColorMap edits to make less dull or higher contrast.
  • Addressed issue where license code validation would mistakenly fail or the engine would mistakenly report that it needs to be reinstalled.
  • If the installer detects OS 10.5, it will now remove the x86_64 binary from the Standalone app so that the Finder doesn't attempt to run it in 64-bit mode (which will result in a crash since 10.5 only has limited 64-bit support).
  • OS X installer improvements for better compatibility.

New in G-Force 4.3 (Nov 17, 2011)

  • FFT audio data is now auto-normalized, offering automated visual response sensitivity adjustment based on incoming audio. This ensures that you get a visually responsive experience, whether you're listening to Bach or the Beastie Boys.
  • Added audio auto-detect, which auto-scans all audio input sources for an active audio source. This new feature is enabled by default for the screen saver and can be enabled for the V-Bar and Standalone.
  • Added UI elements in the screen saver control panel/settings to set the audio auto-detect, the preferred audio source, the frame rate, and the current visual preset.
  • Improved screen saver and V-Bar support, including the internal sharing of audio devices so that multiple engine instances can now visualize the same audio source.
  • Added over 30 new ColorMaps from BTT!
  • The V-Bar for Windows now supports multiple display devices.
  • Fixes to various tile modes in the V-Bar.
  • Added 64-bit support for iTunes and Standalone on OS X.
  • Added 64-bit support for Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center.
  • Addressed an issue where G-Force would hang on exit due to a deadlock.
  • PREF_AUDIO_INPUT_SOURCE now stores an audio name instead of an index so that the wrong source will no longer be used when if audio devices are added or removed from the system.
  • Now mangling ObjC classnames to prevent OS X namespace collisions within iTunes and the OS X screens aver subsystem.
  • Fixed issue where clicks were not hitting UI elements.
  • Significantly improved OS X and Windows audio input source detection and handling.
  • Now using the latest DirectX SDK, increasing drawing performance on some Windows systems.
  • Fixed issue under Windows where the full screen resolution selection list was empty.
  • The G-Force Toolbar for OS X now scrolls the current WaveShape, ColorMap, and FlowField into view whenever it changes.
  • Prev/Next WaveShape, ColorMap, and FlowField slideshow buttons in the G-Force Toolbar now step alphabetically when slideshow mode is disabled.
  • Various install/uninstall registry fixes for J. River Media Center.
  • The console now has multiple verbose modes.
  • Removed Google Desktop support (it has been discontinued by Google).

New in G-Force 4.2.0 (Apr 12, 2011)

  • Several new ColorMaps from BT, and new WaveShapes from JRM and Andy!
  • Reduced CPU load by 15-20% if the frame dimensions are both less than 2048 pixels.
  • Fixed string concat bug that was causing stability issues in some environments.
  • Fixed G-Force Toolbar issue that was causing an error saying that the engine version didn't match the toolbar version.
  • Fixed bug where the engine would check for updates on every launch instead of honoring the period specified in the prefs and would sometimes falsely report an update was available.
  • Added GIF file format support.

New in G-Force 4.1.2 (Dec 4, 2010)

  • Fixed FlowField Unions.
  • Restored support for some legacy Windows hardware.

New in G-Force 4.1.1 (Dec 4, 2010)

  • Now using new approach to regulate frame rate under iTunes in order to address erratic frame rates introduced under iTunes 10.
  • Added new keystroke-based save and recall scheme to replace the "CTRL X" scheme. Press SHIFT+W and then 'X' to write the script "Key X.txt", or press SHIFT+R and then 'X' to read the script "Key X.txt".
  • Due to reports of legacy Windows machines having compatibility issues, G-Force now reports an 'insufficient hardware' message if the Direct3D vertex shader model is earlier than 2.0.
  • Enabling/Disabling FlowField Unions from the G-Force Toolbar now persists between G-Force sessions.
  • Added new pref PREF_FORCE_CPU_COLORIZATION.

New in G-Force 4.1 (Nov 13, 2010)

  • Internal graphics engine enhancements for more consistent performance and quality across systems. SoundSpectrum now uses an all-shader model for vertex and fragment processing under Direct3D (see the Resources/Shaders dir).
  • Many excellent new ColorMaps from BT!
  • Added "Slideshow.EnableOnStartup" pref for ConfigSets to prevent slideshow mode from being enabled on startup.
  • Added "MostRecent.ResumeOnStartup" pref for ConfigSets to cause the most recently run config to load on startup.
  • Resolved switch to full screen mode issues on multiple display device setups.
  • Fixed iTunes crash on exit under OS X.
  • Fixed RealPlayer support.
  • Fixed OS 10.4 compatibility issues.
  • Worked around OS 10.6 screen saver issue causing error messages to appear in the system log (Apple bug report filed).

New in G-Force 4.0.1 (Nov 13, 2010)

  • Various fixes to full screen mode on OS X.
  • Fixed hang on exit under OS X if the local network doesn't have an internet connection.

New in G-Force 4.0.0 (Jul 15, 2010)

  • Added multi-threaded processing for pixel flow, resulting in a 2x-4x performance increase on multi-core systems!
  • Many new FlowFields and WaveShapes by Andy, Jim Mohr, and Nigel, in addition to several dozen content revisions and tweaks to existing content!
  • Increased the FlowField vector max addressable size, removing the frame size limit previously imposed by previous versions of G-Force.
  • Increased FlowField vector resolution, resulting in higher visual quality pixel flow for particular FlowFields.
  • Oncoming FlowFields are now calculated in another thread, significantly decreasing the average time needed to prepare the next FlowField on multi-core systems.
  • Added native 64-bit support for OS X, allowing 64 bit operation under the OS X screen saver engine.
  • The OS X Standalone application has been rewritten for Cocoa.
  • Removed frame limiting prefs and related functionality.
  • Addressed a screen saver stability issue when running OS X on PowerPC.
  • Fixed several WaveShape particles that became semi-broken when the ’t’ variable was changed to always start from 0 (special thanks to JayPro for catching this!)
  • Addressed issue where double-clicking in WMP would cause a blank screen or crash.
  • ’CTRL+SHIFT+X’ scripts are now written to the prefs directory instead of the engine directory to accommodate the fact the current user may not have write permission to the engine directory.
  • Added support for J. River Media Center 15.
  • Fixed issue where G-Force would crash when taking a screen shot.
  • G-Force alerts the user if an older version of the GF Toolbar is used with a newer engine in order to prevent problems.
  • Now signing exes and screen savers on Windows to prevent anti-virus false positives.
  • Fixed issue where video sprites would fail to start.
  • Fixed implementation of floor() on ppc, fixing various FlowFields and configs behaving erratically or appearing improperly.
  • Fixed FlowField Unions checkbox not working in the G-Force Toolbar.
  • New VectorC functions (see VectorC.h).

New in G-Force 3.9.4 (Dec 18, 2009)

  • Compatibility improvements for the G-Force Toolbar under Windows when iTunes (ie. Bonjour) is present.
  • Fixed issue where user sprites of large size would downscale to poor quality or would cause a hang.

New in G-Force 3.9.3 (Nov 3, 2009)

  • New WaveShapes from Jim M!
  • Minor performance improvements to FlowField transitions.
  • Now compiling with GCC 4.2 on OS X for enhanced performance.
  • Fixed issue where screen shots were sometimes being saved improperly resulting in a corrupted-looking image.

New in G-Force 3.9.2 (Aug 6, 2009)

  • New FlowFields from Rainer (RG) -- thanks Rainer!
  • Added install support for non-ASCII OS X user names.
  • Movie sprites now honor all flags, including expand to fit.
  • Restored unofficial Mac OS 10.3 support.
  • Fixed issue on older machines where G-Force would appear to freeze on the splash screen.

New in G-Force 3.9.1 (Mar 20, 2009)

  • Improved audio response under WMP on slower systems.
  • Added two new WaveShapes.
  • Fixed case where G-Force would fail to start under Vista x64.
  • Fixed text sprites (including 'Blend with Visuals' track text mode).
  • Fixed issue where some upcoming configs weren't precached, resulting in an occasional visual stutter.

New in G-Force 3.9 (Jan 24, 2009)

  • Replaced .MAP-type ColorMaps with PNGs, allowing easier ColorMap authoring.
  • Internal implementation enhancements.
  • Direct3D compatibility enhancements.
  • Addressed issue where G-Force would fail to start if the x86 version of WMP is run on Vista x64 system under a non-admin user (due to the NSIS's faulty RegDLL).
  • By popular request, G-Force no longer overrides the right-click menu in Windows Media Player.
  • Fixed issue where G-Force for iTunes would sometimes fail to be properly registered if installed by a non-admin user on Windows.
  • Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player compatibility enhancements.
  • Added support for J. River Media Center 13.
  • Pref keys are now arbitrary length strings (rather than four character strings).

New in G-Force 3.8.5 (Aug 21, 2008)

  • New WaveShape "Revolve" by Andy.
  • G-Force is now built under MSVS 8 and Xcode 3.1.
  • Improved support for Windows Media Center.
  • Stability enhancements for Windows Media Player.
  • Auto frame size limiting now only limits the height when the width is greater than 1440 (was 1200).
  • The Windows installer now installs a Start Menu group globally rather than just for the current user.
  • Resolved cases where the G-Force Toolbar for Windows would be unable to connect to G-Force.

New in G-Force 3.8.4 (Jul 12, 2008)

  • Improved full screen support under Windows.
  • Fixed stability issue triggered when a version update was detected.

New in G-Force 3.8.3 (Jul 1, 2008)

  • Fixed OS X installer permissions issue (error ID 10 or 11).
  • Fixed G-Force Toolbar crash upon exit.

New in G-Force 3.8.2 (Jun 28, 2008)

  • New Windows screen saver "Display on all monitors" mode.
  • Fixed issue that was causing multi-account installations to fail under OS X.
  • Improved frame rate regulation (preventing frame rate degradation on certain Windows systems).
  • Fixed installer issue that was sometimes causing G-Force to not appear in J. River Media Center.
  • Improved OS X full screen support for non-standard display devices.
  • Fixed memory leak when running in software mode.
  • QuickTime is no longer loaded by default under Windows (and is only loaded if a video sprite is started).
  • Added workaround for certain IDirect3D9 methods that modify the x87 control word that was causing side effects in host players (e.g. audio encoding).
  • Fixed issue that was causing the V-Bar to crash when running under Vista or when switching users.
  • Now using SSE2 to improve performance of low-level operations.
  • Now using the latest version of Apple's Bonjour SDK.
  • Enhanced performance in iTunes.
  • Removed support for XMPlay.

New in G-Force 3.8.1 (May 14, 2008)

  • Fixed ColorMap flickering issue sometimes observed when starting G-Force or when toggling full screen mode.
  • Fixed G-Force Toolbar issue under Windows where menu items in its popup menus would appear white.
  • Fixed Windows installer issue where a message would appear on startup saying that an error occurred and to contact SoundSpectrum support.
  • Added workaround for a Mac OS 10.3 installer issue where files from a previously installed version were not being overwritten by the files from a newly installed version.
  • The default full screen resolution mode is now the display device's currently set resolution mode (rather than a preset factory value).
  • Fixed "error 18" issue occurring on certain Mac OS X systems.