MERGED - all splash screen discussion

"Powered by Unity"
+10

 

Yeah really !!!!
Pro = professionel
personal edition = splash screen and properly a little phrase... try to keep focus

 

Look folks, everyone has an opinion/thought/comment that they might have to share. And that's fine. But please, do us the courtesy of doing your diligence before doing so. It will inform you and enable those of us that have stronger feelings about this to take your thoughts seriously.

I for one have a problem with folks that just start blasting away without understanding what it is that we're actually talking about in here, that, and being made to feel foolish or crazy for discussing it.

 

and this comment is exactly why I posted what I did above.. there's no need for the snark.

 

Very well said!
Anyway, the splash screen can be removed from Pro builds, so it only appears in the free version... so lets make it something 'free' users are proud to advertise, not embarrassed by.

Which splash would you wear on a T-shirt for example Unity4 or Unity5?

 

"Powered by Unity" does seem like the best option in my humble opinion.

That said, I'm really happy with the changes overall!

 

I think Unity wot like to be telling, app is made in " free / personal edition" of Unity.
So the edition name should properly be said as well, my best idea at the moment is


Powered by Unity

Startup

​

i will love to have it standing on my splash screen

 

I accept your apology. I do admit that your words did sting, which I guess was your intention. I guess you have rethought this and life is too short to hold grudges. They did not sting because I agree with your opinion, but because I just didn't expect such angry comments here for what so many believe is a trivial issue.

True democratizing is tough for some people. It means that some people get things that others do not think they deserve. I means that some pay more than others, although in this case, everyone has a choice. Again, change is difficult.

I will use Unity no matter what. If the "Personal" label becomes a problem, we will do what anyone else would do and re-evaluate. Fortunately, there are a lot more options now. That is reality. My biggest concern at the moment is how Unity's generous offer has been used to turn this place into a stratified community by a few very loud people. Feels too much like the real world in live in and not so pleasant.

Thank you, Andy, for your help with this matter.

 

Hugs to Hemi! I too was too caught up in it. I didn't even care that much when I first posted in this thread. lol I just was swept along with the wave. I guess I am always a sucker for a cause.

 

It does describe the software for a lot of people.

But...hundreds, if not thousands of developers were using Unity Free to make games and they have published many of them. Unity encouraged this.

Since Free is gone, they have no choice but to use this new Free with Pro version. So to suddenly take a company that has been around for years and turn them into a Startup seems to me like it would erase all the work they did before, make them start over. Remember, the best games from the new free version will come from those folks that have experience making games. Why punish them? I honestly do not think this was Unity's intention at all.

Personally, I have worked over 10 years in the gaming industry but this is our first game as a team, so that would be fine for us.

 

Teila has feelings

You could always switch to Godot, the engine no one's talking about.

You could try abandoning the real world in favor of one composed entirely of imagination and the internet. That's what I did

 

as i wrote before

"I think "powered by unity startup" is a good phrase.
because that's exactly what its license is all about, and its does not sounding like "unserious developer" more like try the newest ideas, and help us to Succeed"

Startup is only refer to the license edition, startup instead of personal

 

Yup, I do. I can even be moved to tears at times.

I am still waiting for Godot. Are you?

I make games so I am attempting to abandon the real world for my game, but it takes a long time and the darn kids keep interrupting me.

 

To the people who say nobody will notice the splash screen. Have you never had feedback from your players?

I have had feedback, and they notice the littlest of things. And that is just the ones bothered to give feedback.

A statement at the opening of the app that can make me look amateur, or using software that appears to be not for commercial use, is massive in comparison to what gets noticed.

 

Why? Do geographical coordinates sway your mood? Heh. Never made that joke before. I can see why, it's awful.

I actually don't know that reference. I know godot the game engine and godot the blind friend of Mr Wright.

I hope you're including some of us in that statement

 

Yes, it does, actually. But I now live in Florida so always happy! I grew up near Chicago so much happier now. You should have known me then.

Waiting for Godot is an ancient play I read in my undergrad Dramatic Literature class that I had to take for gen ed credits. It is one of the only useful things I learned. Makes me look smart. I was thrilled to have a reason to use it today.

Of course!

 

I think it applies to anything that is practically vaporware or unlikely to succeed in its goal. Couldn't actually find anything related to it on Google.

Edit: Or apparently that play that kept appearing in the first result for Godot. Google knew best again.

 

@Ryiah that play comes up all the time when I'm trying to get to the Godot forums to read updates haha!

@Teila a friend from the past tells me to warn you for the elderly armed with poor eyesight and driver's licenses. Also, if you ever need to stay at a hotel / apartment, always be sure to only accept a room on the bottom floor, to avoid the chance that a legal warning shot could come up through the floor. There are also some political things to be afraid of, but I imagine you're already very familiar with those. I'm scared of Florida

Woo! The virtual family grows

 

I am afraid of Florida and have been for a long time! lol Yes, I am very aware. Trying to get back to Chicago actually.

 

@Teila @Tomnnn can you find somewhere else to kiss

 

What? Neither of us live in Alabama, gross man. We've just become virtual kin Are you the jealous red headed step child?

Look at the votes, boy, this thread is at the end of its life. I appreciate the community's backing of 'sandwich' as the title, but it looks like 'No Text' is going to win. There's nothing left here but some friendly thread derailing until @hippocoder pulls the plug. I think it's hippo's right, given the effort to aggregate all of the threads into this one

 

So buy a license.

 

If you've said your piece by now guys, let it lie, it's better than a lock. Unity *has* read this topic and is very aware of it. Just arguing will devalue it.

 

Maybe he just started his business, and can't afford a license yet. But his clients don't have to know that. Thought of that, Sherlock?

EDIT: I thought Unity wanted its developers to succeed. The phrase "Personal Edition" wouldn't help out new developers who are just starting out and trying to get clients.

EDIT2: Hopefully will let it lie there hippo

 

Now now, Tomnn is young enough to be my son. You can always put me on ignore. I won't be insulted.

 

Sew buttons

Is it lonely up there in that ivory tower?

 

There's more... Helping me are Cherelle, Anne, Jaqueline and so on.

Art director is Ferdinand.


I do not count chickens before they're hatched... In eventual future, you may see my name on credits list of AAA games.

 

Quoting what I said elsewhere.

Note: This applies only to the splash screen. I don't care what the license is called.

The problem here is that "Personal Edition" feels disparaging. It gives the impression that a developer is "lower class" or deserving of ridicule if they can't afford the Pro version just yet.

If Unity really wants to attract developers and help them make games that are good enough to generate income (with which they can then buy the Pro version), then this splash screen doesn't make any sense. It just feels like a slap in the face.

Anything that provides assumptions/implications about the developer or the software is problematic.

"Personal Edition" makes it sound like the software isn't supposed to be used for commercial use.

"Student Edition" makes it sound like it's for educational use.

"Indie Edition" makes it sound like it's not for large-scale productions.

"Public Edition" is better, but also could be interpreted as for games that are non-commercial.

"Standard Edition" works, but sounds awkward; though it at least doesn't suggest something about the developer or what the software is intended for.

The best solution would be to just not use any text other than "Unity5" or "Powered by Unity5".
​

Adding to that:

To speak personally, I am just starting to get into game development. I started looking into engines, resources, design plans, coding, and so on within the last two weeks. I'm not even worthy of being called a hobbyist.

I'm a writer, and I'm currently making long-term plans to learn Unity, coding, and all of the other tools and resources that I need to in order to create a game based on story ideas that I haven't yet published. I have no prior biases toward or against Unity, and little to no terminological knowledge.

Seeing "Personal Edition" on the splash screen instantly alienated me. I wouldn't be comfortable even showing a friend a game with that label.

I don't think that anyone who sees the "Personal Edition" splash screen to would take me as seriously as I'm taking this transition to game development - no matter what quality my work might be. That's the fundamental problem: It says that the tool isn't a tool for people who are serious.


When I saw that "Game Maker: Studio" was the title of the free version of the Game Maker software, my automatic impression was that the title was an intentional branding choice intended to foster an image of "this software is a standard toolset for developing products" or "people who use our software are serious and are using a serious tool" - instead of as a means of separating "Pro" users from others. I think Unity should take a page from that playbook.

My suggestion for a name for the Unity5 splash screen/version/license would be "Unity5 Open" - in reference to the software being open for anyone to use without purchase. "Open" has positive connotations and doesn't imply anything about the people who use it or what it is used for. "Open" itself could become a branding element, if a stylized graphic is used.


One last note: Personally, I think that "Powered by ___" sounds odd. "Developed in Unity" or "Developed in Unity Open" or "Developed with Unity5" sounds cooler and clearer to me, but I don't know how experienced devs/programmers/coders might feel about that terminology being used.

(One last edit to fix a typo.)

 

@StoryGameDev, you're absolutely right, i even think a simple branding of the logo and symbol is enough (maybe 'powered by', because is kinda standard among engines). Any extra wording is absolutely unnecessary.
I personally prefer they remove some features again as in 4.5 free than forcing this splash screen on us.
And before the wolves eat me, let me say i own a Unity 4 PRO licence.

 

I don't think that open works. It will suggest open source to some people. I think that calling it open would cause more problems than personal.

I think we always need to keep in mind that Unity has decided to give us a full featured engine for free with no royalties. That is huge and probably a crazy thing to do. For that to work as a business model they have to be able to get some people to upgrade to professional. They have added a bunch of services to pro to make it more attractive which is really cool. They have also made it so that you have to have a splash screen and can't use the dark theme. That sounds petty and childish but then you have to weigh it against the fact that they are giving us a full featured game engine for free which is rather crazy.

On the one hand, I think that they purposefully made the splash screen more impressive to make it more palatable. On the other hand, I think they also added the "Personal" qualifier to make it less palatable. I don't think that they saw all the issues that people would have with "Personal". Because it is meant to be an incentive to go with pro, I don't think we will see something generic like "Powered by Unity" but I do hope they get rid of "Personal". Personally, I would vote for something like "Indie"

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but my thought on Unity making all of the engine features free was that they wanted to bring everyone to the table - to encourage new people to get into game development, make money, and become successful as businesspeople. The more people earning money from games made with Unity, the more people there would be paying for Pro, buying assets, etc.

If that's their goal, then making the free version less palatable, as you put it, doesn't make any sense - especially if the method of doing so portrays developers as unprofessional or as cheapskates. That either implies that the people who are making games are dishonorable (and, perhaps, therefore don't deserve to have their game sell), or that Unity is intentionally snubbing a portion of its users (and who would use an engine made by a team like that?).

 

This sounds like the free version with all features is a gift without any further possible claims, and not a business model. But it is in fact a clever business model. The free version made Unity this big in the first place. Unity was just one of many engines before it offered a free version. Now look how it has grown and where it is now. That's the bit to keep in mind.

The business model is to have a free version to attract beginners and indies, and to get their money when they grow big enough. And a side effect is that they don't use other engines, which damages competitors, and makes Unity stronger. This works great for Unity since quite a while. But you need a huge user base for that business model to work. And not to forget, the current business model to offer the full feature set with Unity 5 now is a direct answer to the Unreal offer.

And when you look from that angle, then the "Personal" branding in the splash screen is no wise decision. It distracts exactly those indie developers that Unity wants to catch with the free version to generate enough paying customers later on. Personal versions of software are usually non commercial learning editions. Better demo versions. No matter of the real featur set. The power of wording. Same counts for the word Indie by the way. I would avoid that word too.

 

It looks like most of your post is agreeing with what I'm saying. I do disagree that Indie is the same as personal. Indie most definitely does not suggest non commercial learning edition and avoids some of the other pitfalls with Personal. It's not perfect but nothing will be.

 

Do you really think many people would pay $1500 to remove a few words? There is a huge market out there now, with UE4 and Valve's engine coming soon. Anyone who finds this sooooo important, will probably just switch engines. Seriously...$1500 is a lot of money and if they had the money, they would have the Professional version already and not affected the words on the logo. I am guessing the people who pay to get rid of splash screen words are a tiny portion of this community....very tiny. A larger number might just jump ship, sadly.

I really think Unity stands more of a chance of losing potential paying customers, not necessary of the Pro license but of the add-ons, like the team license, the Analytics, the discount asset store thing, future Cloud service, and probably the dozens of other Unity ad-ons we will see someday if they don't change the words. Also, they will lose the asset store purchases. Remember, the people who care about the appearance of their game the perception of these words are probably the most serious of the "Personal Edition" users. They are concerned about how this might affect their game when it is published. They are actually making games to publish. Most of all, they will lose the licenses from those who might have made the limit cut-off someday and had to pay.

A few words isn't going to stop me from using Unity but if it in any way damages the credibility of my game if I were to try to raise funds or attract investors, then I would have to reconsider. As much as I love Unity, if we are perceived as using personal software for commercial uses and that becomes a negativity, the what else can we do?

I an confident that Unity will find a way to fix this that will be a nice compromise for everyone. Using Standard, or Free, or Indie still differentiates from Professional and has a less prestigious feel to it. They still are missing the services. Those are the big draw. There are lots of them on that comparison list. I would buy Pro now for the Analytics but with the Personal edition all of our team can use Unity. With the Pro we would have to buy 5 licenses! That would be far too much for us now. Maybe Unity will make a Studio Edition someday that will give teams a discount.

 

What I think makes absolutely no difference. It is obvious that Unity is using this as part of their way to differentiate the two tiers. Same as the light only theme. That was their business decision.

 

Do you own Pro?

 

What does that have to do with anything? I have a subscription. Based on recent events, I will probably cancel it at the end of the month and use the free version.

 

Ahh, okay.

 

I thought @hippocoder closed this thread lol.

 

Wish he would. lol

 

@Teila, @ChipMan

Let's add it to the poll!

 

Might as well, your responses suggest you have no idea what I'm trying to say.

 

Huh? You are looking for attention or something? I have nothing to say, sorry. Nothing personal.

 

I got something to say:

 

Guys, no need to fight. it's just a program interface lol. let it go

 

But i wanna SHOUT:

 

Haha!

 

Here's what this thread makes me think of

Back and forth over some programs UI...

 

Edit: Being asked why this has been closed.

"I understand your points but from my point of view everything that needs to be said about the matter by the community has been said (~700 posts). Andy and I have noted opinions and let the right people in the company know. The last few pages haven't exactly been the topic matter and we've been heading round in circles. If we where censoring I wouldn't have recommended the community putting forward the feedback topic and wouldn't have left the thread open that long.

When everything is back to normal I guess the correct people will make a decision on the matter and let people know, maybe by starting a new thread or reopening this closed one."