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| So, the CT5 beta will not make scripts that can be moved into IClone 2.5? I suppose there's a reason for that?
This is so you guys can sell me an upgrade to IClone to do better facial animations sometime in the near future, right? It'll be the same software, but I'll get to pay for it twice. Once for CT 5 pro, and once for IClone 2.x? Oh I'm so thrilled.
You've got some decent products guys. Too bad you have this sales plan that assumes your customers are wealthy and stupid. I know, I know, that's not what you're doing. It just looks that way. [sigh]
-jjwebb |
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| | Hi, I believe the plan for Crazytalk 5 to work with iClone 3.0 rather than v2 is down to the major improvements in script creation and facial animation that are now available in Crazytalk 5 rather than a way to squeeze more money out of us. Also just as there have been massive improvements with Crazytalk 5, iClone 3.0 will be another giant leap forward for iClone users as was the jump form v1 to v2. So it will not just be a case of paying for an upgrade to use Crazytalk 5, you will be gaining fantastic new features as well. It's never fun having to pay for upgrades but I think the new features coming in these two products will make it worthwhile for most and remember that as an existing user you will get a good discount on the upgrade when it is time to do so.
Peter Edwards
Forum Moderator iClone Daily Blog |
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| Peter Edwards (12/17/2007)
Hi,
I believe the plan for Crazytalk 5 to work with iClone 3.0 rather than v2 is down to the major improvements in script creation and facial animation that are now available in Crazytalk 5 rather than a way to squeeze more money out of us.
Also just as there have been massive improvements with Crazytalk 5, iClone 3.0 will be another giant leap forward for iClone users as was the jump form v1 to v2. So it will not just be a case of paying for an upgrade to use Crazytalk 5, you will be gaining fantastic new features as well.
It's never fun having to pay for upgrades but I think the new features coming in these two products will make it worthwhile for most and remember that as an existing user you will get a good discount on the upgrade when it is time to do so.
Peter,
I appreciate your response. I am very familiar with phased roll-outs of versions of a tool. Being a 62 year old, retired, software developer I've even done it a few times for some major products.
What exactly are they planning to charge users to beta test their IClone 3 product? This sounds like an absurd question, doesn't it? No? Well, it does to me. I want to make content. Instead, I have to worry about whether or not this tool isn't going to get so expensive it'll need to be abandoned. Charging users $60 bucks for betas that aren't compatible, on the promise of an IClone beta, of unknown cost, that will be. Hmmmmm ..
Yes, I'm very familiar with phased roll-outs. But I'm not familiar with asking the user community to help shake the product out on promises, while paying for the privilege. I missed that approach during my career.
The user community is being asked to help shake out a product that will, for at least 3 or 4 months, NOT work with their other products? That strikes me as almost predatory. Pay to see a beta? Paticipate in a beta TEST and pay to do so? And after we've paid them to help beta their product, and we have content we'd like to move to IClone? Well, we'll be pregnant then, so they'll be able to price that ICLONE upgrade in the stratosphere, won't they? You add it all up and it looks predatory. It looks like, the more of their products a customer owns the less regard Reallusion has for them.
"as an existing user you will get a good discount" A good discount? Pay $60 to participate in a beta test program? We obviously have different definitions of what constitutes a 'good' discount.
And, as existing users of Reallusion products, the community is being asked to pay at every turn for the privilege! What about paying to beta test a product should make me feel like I'm anything more than something for Reallusion to experiment with? Like I'm some kind of labrat more interested in helping them with the tool than with producing content for my venue? Because, for months, CT5 can only be used on standalone CT5 projects. If the IClone 3 product then comes out priced outrageously, I'm screwed if I've invested ANY time in developing content with CT5 . On the 'promise' of compatibility with IClone 3? A product that I have no idea of the price of?
And I know the answer to my concern is, "Don't download the beta then. We've got more than enough people paying to help us, we don't need you."
Which goes right along with that sales email address being a black hole that never returns an answering email. And a website so mystifying that it needs outside help to negotiate. Like I said, Reallusion has some decent products. But that doesn't excuse the way Reallusion treats their users.
-blue
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