MERGED - all splash screen discussion

whatever the name is, I am glad I get all the pro features for free, but changing to Indie would be nice...

 

I would like it if the splash screen said "Proudly made with Unity".

 

+1

A successfull indie is better and better for Unity, another title or log that sounds less "amateur" or less "student" is required.

 

I don't mind the name "Personal Edition", but for the splash screen, it would be much better to just say "Powered by Unity" or "Made with Unity". Hopefully Unity considers changing this. I don't have other complaints about the splash screen, it's much more stylish than the old one. It's just the text there currently is that makes it look worse.

 

Hey I heard with Unity 5 we have a new animated Splash Screen in the free version.

1. Question: Can somebody post a video of the animation or just record it with a smart phone?

2. Question: Do we have to use the new animated Splash Screen or can we replace it with the old picture or are there maybe other Splash Screens provided by Unity, so we can choose one of them.

Thank you

 

If you have Pro Edition you can choose whatever you want. Otherwise? Nope.

 

Thank you LaneFox!

Wow the letters look really blurred :/

 

I don't mind the name if it wouldn't be on the Splash Screen.
When "Personal Edition" is displayed on the Splash Screen I have the feeling the player thinks this game was made with wood, nails and a hammer

Why not just name it DIY-Edition!

 

"Unity wouldn't pay $1500 to get rid of this screen edition"

 

Makes me wonder if we are the only women on this forum! lol

 

The problem is because it is because it is the general public will see it that it is a problem. The term is the total opposite to what would be expected in a commercial environment. The public will get the right idea, the term is wrong.

The version wording isn't needed at all. I would be happy with just "Powered by Unity". I would also prefer a non-animated one, as surely the animated version will have a bigger file size?

 

Its so fugly and design-wise a complete NO-GO. The pixelated font underscore the "personal = amateurish" taste that the splash screen leaves. NO one would pay money for a game that has such a splash screen. Clever move ut

 

There is non animated version too dont worry, still with 'personal' word though...

 

I thought the whole idea is that there is only ONE version of Unity now, so why label the Cootchie Shaver Edition™ as anything at all? It is (supposedly) not in any way different to the (starship) Enterprise Edition™ except obviously in the amount of money you earn.

I'm sorry Unity but I don't feel comfortable with you making my finances public.

If there were limits in the software then I think it is appropriate to label the software as a different product, but what you are actually labeling is MY PERSONAL INCOME....? Sorry Unity but what dystopian corporate planet that worships a money god are you from?

I can get over that you don't KNOW any women, but now you want to play peek-a-boo with my bank account because I am not a corporation that can pay the opt out fee??

The animated logo is so cool. They had such an opportunity here. Just what are they thinking? A little too much time at the men's-only country club, I'm thinking.

 

"Personal" is no bad, but "Indie" rules, I am a Indie game developer and would be like if my games say "Indie" instead "Personal", but well, is not easy that Unity listen this type of little things as a dark theme for all.

 

Suggestion: Rebrand 'Personal' to 'Sandwich Edition'

Final title: Powered by Unity Sandwich Edition Edition

--edit

I'm amused by the number of likes. Maybe this is deserving of its own thread...

--edit

Community, stahp. The thread was crushed under the weight of its own success, and was closed by some mod while sandwich was leading over 'Free' and 'Personal' at a ratio of 9:1. I know you all want it, but it just isn't going to happen :c

 

Uh, you realize that .gif is most likely compressed? Personal would be better as Indie. I, infact want to keep the splash screen, it looks fantastic when not a .gif.

 

That's right , i hope they will get rid of that label.
Unreal 4 has one label and logo for everyone, no racism

Perhaps Unity Vanilla Edition ?

 

I agree, i am a Indie developer and my games are indie games not "personal" games but well, as we say in spanish "a caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes".

 

There is no difference in the "edition" at all. It's the same program. The exact same program.... Or did I misunderstand the whole speech yesterday?

 

Its going to be hilarious when someone publishes a badass product with Personal Edition and no one cares about the splash screen.

 

This Splashcreen issue stops people from making those awesome projects darnit!

I understand again why I took a long break from the forums

 

The only thing I see that could be bad about it is the wording Personal Edition. "Personal" could be seen as someone was using a license restricted to their personal use only.

I don't think it is a big issue because obviously that is not the case. And I think the new splash screen is very high quality. The animation adds a touch of class. It is much better than the old splash screen.

If someone thinks it makes Unity look bad then use it to your advantage. Make an awesome game so players will think "wow! They made THIS using that crap personal edition?! These guys (gals) must be awesome!"

 

678 votes so far! A lot of people must feel the same way!

 

Yeah, I think they do not use focus groups when they make these decisions and that is a bit of a problem. Next time, pull a few people off the street and make sure at least half are women.

This is such a minor issue really. I am so grateful to Unity for the changes they have made. But geesh, couldn't you think of a better word than one that has such strong connotations?

Honestly, which of these applies? Maybe the first one? Except that our games are not our own personal "thing". We are sharing these with the world through our games. Some folks here want to attract publishers or Kickstarter investors. The way around it will be that we will have to each explain the status of Indie Personal. I guess that isn't a huge deal but geesh, wouldn't it be better not to have to do that? Not all of us are single developer teams either, some of us have teams, albeit small teams.

Several of these definitions are derogatory, or intimate, or even suggestive, not something that belongs on a splash screen.

I looked up some synonyms to personal thinking I could find an acceptable word. I was surprised when I found this:

Synonyms for personal
adj private, individual

• intimate
• particular
• secret

• special
• exclusive
• privy

• claimed
• owns
• peculiar

• retired
• secluded

Obviously, none of these really work. Maybe something that describes the fact the the free version is limited, such as Unity Limited. I like Indie better though because it also lifts the Professional version to a more lofty level.

Sorry for the wall of text and understand that I am not critical of Unity and their decisions here. Just try to explain why I think that people are concerned about the name. Either way, I am happy. It won't keep me from using Unity and being proud to do so although it might be something I constantly have to explain, which is a bit annoying. I am confident though that this will be worked out. Unity seems to be receptive these days. I really don't think they chose this word to push people into buying the Pro version. I just don't think they thought it all out.

 

The term "Personal" has very few negative connotations, and it is largely ambiguous, and non-threatening. End-users who see that word won't be turned off or intimidated by it. As far as what it means in terms of development, end-users won't care. Most of them won't have any idea what Unity is in the first place.

"Indie," or "Independent" isn't as easy a term to define. The meaning of that term has gotten a lot murkier in the past few years. It also doesn't set itself apart from the term "Professional." These days there are plenty of indie developers who are also professionals. The term "Professional" literally means that you get paid for what you do. That's part of why it's being applied to a version of the engine that you are required to buy if you are making more than $100,000 annually. (a sum considered to be a reasonable living wage almost anywhere in the world) The opposite term for "Professional" isn't "Indie," but "Amateur."

I'm fine with "Personal." If I had my own choice, I would go with something ridiculous, like "Super Ultra Turbo Star-Falcon" edition. But then, I didn't make the engine, and then release it to the general public at no charge. I can guarantee that some thought went into this naming convention. This was probably already a lengthy discussion over at Unity. The term "Personal" is honestly a pretty good compromise. They could have just as easily called it the "Pauper" edition, or "Cheapskate" edition. Would that be better?

Oh look! A free horse! Let me just pry its teeth apart with a crowbar and climb down its throat.

 

The splash screen looks really good, in my opinion. I don't see why someone wouldn't buy a game JUST because of the splash screen, they won't buy the game because either the game sucks or they don't like the game, not because of the splash screen that takes 5 seconds to load and unload (sexy splashscreen too).

 

Oh this looks really slick. Other than the person, I love this! Personal, I mean its not a bad choice, it just sounds a bit unprofessional.
That being said, I doubt many gamers are gonna instantly exit and uninstall a game if they see Personal Edition in its splash screen

 

Surely someone has already bought the game before they see the splashscreen, based on gameplay video, trailer, photos, media etc? Or am I missing something here?

As long as the game is fun and amazing (of which Indie developers now have full-power of Unity to make that), caring about a 3 second splashscreen isn't going to be on the gamer's mind, unless it is incredibly offensive.

I've uploaded one of the splashscreens for Shadow of Mordor; they really don't retract the fun I had in hunting Orcs and running around Middle Earth.

 

They could always ask for a refund after seeing it, though.

 

Personally I would look a gift horse in the mouth. I mean what if it's like a really old horse that's on it's last legs? Then you are stuck with a horse that you can't do anything with and have to feed it everyday or the RSPCA would come round and put you in prison. I suppose you could sell it for dog food. But then you wouldn't feel very good. You've just murdered a horse! <--- BTW I wasn't being metaphorical. I was talking about an actual horse.

 

Hobbyist has the same problem, it doesnt really sound like you're doing this seriously just because you didnt pay for pro to make your first game or what not

 

You are not a woman. Perhaps you have not had multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns aimed at the grooming and freshness of your vagina. I guarantee, this word is ignorantly problematic. If you don't know that, now you do. Words mean actual things. They aren't just marketing syllables that get strung together.

 

Why would people do that because it says Personal? I'd rather it change but I doubt it will put anyone off

 

Why would someone ask for a refund after seeing a splashscreen? As a gamer, that seems entirely bizarre. Do you have any citation of this happening in the past?

 

No, it was sarcasm.

 

Ah! Need to add them <sarcasm> tags.

 

Honestly by some of the threads going up at the moment I wouldnt be surprised if it were serious :/ We get PBR, enlighten, and reflection probes for free and people are fretting about the word Personal

 

It's not enough! People won't play my MMORPGFPSRTS Zombie Alien Simulator if they see the word "Personal"!

EDIT - </sarcasm>

 

Just because you get the red pill free, you should not be gladly swallow the blue pill too… just sayin

 

That's uh... yea. At least it isn't "Unity: Freshness Edition". It could be worse.

 

This is my opinion only, I'm not bashing anyone or suggesting you give those Unity freeloaders another pro feature!

Don't get me wrong, I already have Pro but if a custom splash screen is no big deal, why is it an advertised feature of Pro only?

Personally, I like having my own splash screen and whilst I wouldn't not buy a game because of it, as a developer I feel a little better for not having that 'unprofessional splash screen' at the start of my game & it was one of the reasons I wanted the Pro version, aside from earning over 100k that forced me to purchase it.

Again, I'm not bashing anyone, but I think to some people it is a big deal. Many people know of Unity as a platform for new game developers to try for free, so seeing that splash screen for some people may mean it's made by someone who isn't very professional.

 

Free-To-Play is a large part of the market. Anything done wrong means a player walking away. Starting with a statement that make it look as if you are using something not for commercial use is something wrong.

 

This is a fair point. Especially with the number of gift horses that have been showing up recently. Not everyone has room to store multiple horses. When you are being given so many equine options, it's not unreasonable to start checking them and picking the one you like best.

And the purpose of these message boards, after all, is feedback. I imagine Unity doesn't mind people critiquing this decision. They will no doubt read this thread and mull over some of the ideas being brought up. Who knows, they may even actually change the term. It's not THAT big of a change in the long run, more cosmetic than anything else. A simple switch in branding, tweak a few variables on the website and in the application, send out a press release or two.

I don't see it happening at the moment, because I haven't heard a better suggestion. "Indie" doesn't work.

 

I think you mean "it has very few negative connotations" to ME! To some of us it does. I would like to sell my game to women as well as men.

Hmm, the people who follow our game are very very aware of what Unity is and how it all works. I make sure they know. I see them as intelligent, thinking and sensitive people. Not sure about your "end users".

I also think all of us are very happy with Unity at the moment and there is absolutely nothing wrong with discussing this issue here. As for the insults, many folks here did buy Pro and were locked into subscriptions. Many of us have spent $1000's of dollars developing our games. Most of us would have bought pro eventually. Unity's decision was a good one, not only for us, but for them. As Josh said in another thread, Trust David.

 

wetcircuit is also employing circular logic. The concept of associating the term "Personal" with "feminine hygiene" is itself a consequence of marketing. Branding products is always a marketing thing, and the meaning of words in the popular mindset changes constantly.

Let's not forget the humble Wii. I still remember the uproar over its naming. People swearing that it would never succeed because its name sounded like a child's term for urine. 100 million units later Nintendo is still laughing at the nay-sayers.

 

At least anti-alias the Text…

 

Maybe for gamers this isnt that big problem... but you considered, let say, commercial presentation (ArchViz for instance)? remember unity isnt only game engine... and 'personal' suggest non-commercial use only... sure i could clarify this before every presentation but still uncomfortable and some customer still might blame on me because of UNITY'S bad wording not because of MY fails...

 

Indie doesn't work because the term Indie was stolen by the former AAA developers who wanted to capture the market for indie games. All those players that were sick of EA and Bestheda and the monetization/dumbing down of games or whatever else they didn't like about the big wigs were a tempting market.

Indie still applies. I get all sorts of discounts as an Indie developer and all of them are called "Indie Versions". Just because the big studios steal a term, doesn't mean it still doesn't belong to us.

Actually, I feel fired up. Unity, help us to take back Indie!

 

Yes, we used a Plugin with MAYA that has this "personal" watermark in the rendering. Saying loud "do not sell"