Leastways, I couldn’t help but notice that, with the new front page that just went up, there’s now no longer any mention of the “free” being temporary anymore…
Good deal. I am really glad they went back to the way they had it before studio 3 came out. I think it greatly helps draw in new users. It did me 5 years ago at least.
That’s how they got me too! I fondly remember getting a brand spanking new program called DAZstudio 1.8 absolutely free, plus they threw in a whole bunch of free content just for registering, and the rest as they say is, ... er uhm, history? ... good marketing loss leader!
I think that it has to remain free as long as there are no manuals. I still think this is their way of saying that they will never finish the documentation.
Leastways, I couldn’t help but notice that, with the new front page that just went up, there’s now no longer any mention of the “free” being temporary anymore…
If you go to the individual product pages it’s there.
DAZ stated that they found the temporary free releases to be very valuable move as it has really racked in a lot of new people into the community. The know very well that getting a big, shiny program that otherwise you’d have to pay big bucks for is creating large temptation to instead blow all that cash on content to play with.
They know it’s working, they’re happy, the customers are happy with their new toys, and we all live happily ever after, holding hands under the big rainbow of online store complaints… :‘3
I think that it has to remain free as long as there are no manuals. I still think this is their way of saying that they will never finish the documentation.
DAZ stated that they found the temporary free releases to be very valuable move as it has really racked in a lot of new people into the community. The know very well that getting a big, shiny program that otherwise you’d have to pay big bucks for is creating large temptation to instead blow all that cash on content to play with.
They know it’s working, they’re happy, the customers are happy with their new toys, and we all live happily ever after, holding hands under the big rainbow of online store complaints... :‘3
I spend a lot of my time in the “Just Because I Can. STUPID THREAD II”...
When they decided to make DAZ Studio a program that you’d have to pay for, then they should never had released it as beta-software. Huge mistake. First they should have released it when it was done, maybe not with all the bells and whistles, but functional. Secondly they should have written the documentation, and released the software only when this was done.
Doing things half-assed hasn’t served DAZ3D anything at all. I’m waiting for the DS4.5 General Release so I can finally migrate from DS3A. Keyword; functional software. NOT beta-software!!
Beta really doesn’t bother me. First of all I have no more trouble with it than plenty of programs that are no longer beta (many of which I payed as much or more for than I did when I payed for Studio by the way) and secondly I gamed for years and never once did any of the games I played ever stop being beta because the GM’s never wanted to stop improving the game.
But we need basic functionality if we are using this software in a production environment. I have had the horrible experience several times in the past of saving a scene rebooting and then being unable to reopen in it in exactly the same version of daz studio. People with real deadlines and real projects can’t afford that kind of lost productivity.
...I had no issue with the “beta” updates when the full version of application was 100% free. This is what got me into 3D as I had the full application and a nice set of content to play with rather than some hamstrung limited time demo where most of the features that interested me were turned off.
When S3A came out, things changed though. It was marketed as a complete (read, reasonably functional) application, but it soon became apparent we were paying our hard earned money to continue playing “beta testers”. Subsequent “updates” actually made matters worse for a time instead of better, until the release of 3.1.2.32 (which was the last release of 3A before Ver 4.x was rolled out).
In Maxwell Smart’s words I feel they were “that close” to making 3A a solid application when it was suddenly orphaned for the “new kid”. If only they would have took just a couple more months and actually fixed the few remaining issues and finally give us the “complete” application we originally paid for. Instead near the end of it’s “lifetime”, ver.3 was used for “prototyping” several features that were to be incorporated into Studio4 leaving us who paid our hard earned money with a still partially broken programme that would never be finished.
Now they’re already talking about S5 (and I’m not referring to Stephanie) when S4 is barely a year old and still undergoing serious “teething pains”.
Daz, slow down, It’s okay to not roll out a fully new version of your software every year. You don’t have the manpower resources to support the workload involved like an AutoDesk or Adobe do, especially when your development team is also wrestling with getting the new site software working right. Please, can we just get one reasonably stable and “finished” version of your flagship app for once?
...I had no issue with the “beta” updates when the full version of application was 100% free. This is what got me into 3D as I had the full application and a nice set of content to play with rather than some hamstrung limited time demo where most of the features that interested me were turned off.
When S3A came out, things changed though. It was marketed as a complete (read, reasonably functional) application, but it soon became apparent we were paying our hard earned money to continue playing “beta testers”. Subsequent “updates” actually made matters worse for a time instead of better, until the release of 3.1.2.32 (which was the last release of 3A before Ver 4.x was rolled out).
In Maxwell Smart’s words I feel they were “that close” to making 3A a solid application when it was suddenly orphaned for the “new kid”. If only they would have took just a couple more months and actually fixed the few remaining issues and finally give us the “complete” application we originally paid for. Instead near the end of it’s “lifetime”, ver.3 was used for “prototyping” several features that were to be incorporated into Studio4 leaving us who paid our hard earned money with a still partially broken programme that would never be finished.
Now they’re already talking about S5 (and I’m not referring to Stephanie) when S4 is barely a year old and still undergoing serious “teething pains”.
Daz, slow down, It’s okay to not roll out a fully new version of your software every year. You don’t have the manpower resources to support the workload involved like an AutoDesk or Adobe do, especially when your development team is also wrestling with getting the new site software working right. Please, can we just get one reasonably stable and “finished” version of your flagship app for once?
I loudly agree with you, KK!!
I hope the people at DAZ3D reads your post, not just once, but several times until it is fixed into their minds.
DAZ3D =/= Autodesk
DAZ3D =/= Adobe
But what DAZ3D has actually managed is to make the big studios take notice and they are adding discounts for their suits.
AutoCAD LT - save €300 if you have a subscription, €200 if you don’t have a subscription. Save 20% on all softwares before July 13’th 2012. Etc. They have lowered the bar, so the small guy can have fun to.
So, in all fairness we should thank them for continuing developing their flagship, and hope Autodesk doesn’t buy them out.
I understand that DAZ =/= adobe, but then they can’t command Adobe $$. I am willing to pay Adobe $$$ for a DAZ studio that works consistently. I am not willing to beta test.
