MERGED - all splash screen discussion

That may be true, but Unity is a big company. Would a focus group have cost them that much? Would it have hurt them to do a bit of research or even poll the community?

Thanks, btw.

 

Thank you! But we have much to do! As a passionate game developer, what would be your top 5 wanted things from Unity in general?

 

Goat support.

 

Everyone's making so much sense today :O It seems there is a desire for change on all sides.

Polling the community would have been the best idea, since the consensus is right now "Anything except Personal".

 

You can give users all the free, awesome features you want. You can call it the democratization of software if you please. But in a singular addition of the word 'personal' to the splash screen, be it for fully free users, or Pro users who who happen to occasionally need to publish something for a client on mobile, UT has applied a Scarlet letter to the output. Of course no gamer on iTunes or steam would care. Some of my fav games like Thomas was Alone, had the splash. But if you are working toward the goal of breaking the 100k ceiling, trying to gain and keep small clients as you move the ball down-field, everything you produce has been branded...non-professional.

You may need to pay other companies royalties at some point, but at least they allow you to feel professional as you build your company.

 

I sat for a while, trying to answer this question for myself. Most of what I came up with is already on the Unity 5.x roadmap (networking features, multi-scene editing, etc.).

 

How I get new unity splash screen? I've just build for android and it still has old splash screen

 

yeaaaah, if you knew how many comments I get about being female and working with a game engine instead of just making pretty pictures in 3D.... From both men and women.

If it was just my opinion, I would get a refund for Pro, cut my losses in 4xPro, and move on with $3000 to spend on other software.

But I don't live in a vacuum, and while I have been shouting to the rooftops about how awesome Unity is, now I'm sort of reminded AGAIN that I am an outsider and there will be hundreds of little social stigmas that go along with everything I do "just because", so in addition to getting paid less for harder work and being shut out of meetings where I am the technician but people are asking me to fetch coffee or ANY RANDOM NEARBY MALE is given credit for what I do at work (yes, real life people), now I can spend $3000 to make my work appear just a fraction more professional, while less talented blue-eyed men get a free ride on the corporate lazy train and get to pretend to be ignorant that HALF THE COMMERCIALS ON TELEVISION seem to be aimed at prepping my Personal areas for public scrutiny.... urgh. I get to be reminded of this EVERYTIME I use Unity...? The women know I am only half-joking.

You know what? I'm torn, because as much as I could use the refund, I would ALSO like to just be judged on the end results and not have extra crap come up all the time, so maybe removing the logo is worth it and I don't need to be so vocal promoting a corporation that feels entitled to put a metaphorical boot on my face with every project I present from their software.... Yeah, it's flip-floppy and a little extreme, but that's how the world is too. There's a reason my Grandmother put on her best clothes to feel credible - spending money has ALWAYS been a way to take away some class/gender/race stigma.... Why should Unity be any different? Completely arbitrary label, designed ONLY to set a class apart. It's too bad the corporate mentality is this way... rather than praise their First Class status they shame everyone "beneath" them. The 1% are "normal", the 99% are "other-ed".

 

They called Unity Free "Unity Indie" long time ago, which was like $100.

 

Do you get sandwiches too with the coffee wetcircuit?

 

1. Price parity between desktop and mobile development (i.e. remove the mobile add-ons).
2. The ability to buy any Professional features individually (you are already doing that (or planning to) with Cloud Build Pro, Analytics Pro, Team Licence and Asset Store Level 11, but not the splash screen)
3. A respectful splash screen.
4. Several options for the splash screen so that the same one isn't appearing again and again in different games (or just the option to set the background colour to match the game).
5. Ability to set asset import defaults.

 

yeah that's F***in hilarious.

 

Are #2-4 really three of your top 5 wanted things from all of Unity- anything new you could have from the engine?

I'm not hating here, but it feels a bit like choosing a different car color over having an electric engine.

 

and btw? i was raised by my ma with 2 sisters and i have 2 daughters and i think what you or *any* female has to go through on a daily basis is an outrage. i actually know a few guys that have said this to their daughters: "you can be anything you want to be when you grow up", like that was something that would ever need to be said to them. it's a damn shame.

i can sympathize with your frustration

 

I hope they will change the label or simply remove it , really.
Same logo for both editions, and gamers don't need to know if you used Pro or Free version as they have both same features.
Epic makes you look pro , they have one unique Logo for everyone, from the hobbyst to the indie to the pros.

Not only some women would need to hear that , but lot of guys also.

 

Yeah, I get it. Sorry you have to deal with this. Fortunately, my team members are family so I can ground them, turn off the internet or make them sleep on the couch. Not easy out there in the rat race though. My previous career was a male dominated one so went through similar situations. Never asked to get coffee but I was offered a pink hard-hat.

Cute...not.

 

Perhaps it would help if you'd know that current Unity CEO is a former EA executive.

Anyway, just return to "Powered by Unity" and everyone would be happy. Well, unless they want to develop on actual operating system, that is!

 

/Exactly

Classy? lmao!

 

That's the difference! Unity makes you look "Classy"

Wouldn't you rather look classy?

 

Haha, that is choice. I actually QUIT MY JOB over the summer in a douchy tech-production field and started teaching myself Unity full time, with the goal of being able to remove my body from what I am creating: Anonymity of online, getting older and just unwilling to do all the grooming ritual to be treated with any respect while my co-workers can go without a shower for 2 days.... etc....

 

There was always only one version of Unity; there's never been more than one (not counting certain console-specific builds). The difference now is that the free license has more (but not all) of the formerly pro license features.

Yeah, some people said that about the iPad too. Aside from a few stupid jokes on late-night TV, nothing ever came of it.

--Eric

 

If you say so, but seems like semantics. I paid considerable extra for render textures, extra lights and shadows, PostFX etc. If 4.x Free could do that then I would agree with you, but it couldn't so I'm not really sure what you are trying to say.

 

yeah, but Eric, if they want to berate me about what a loser i am because i can't afford pro right now, in a splash screen every time i open the editor, that's one thing. but to do that to whatever i create with it? that's a bit much man..

 

Good for you! I taught college for a while and loved it. Very rewarding.

And yeah, there is a bit of double standard when it comes to hygiene. lol I say that as I sit in my sweats, an old T-shirt and uncombed hair. Where is that comb anyway?

 

Okay, that is fine. I am happy using Free now. But call it Free rather than personal. People are familiar with that and won't think we are making our games with a non-commercial version and it won't create visions of pink razors.

 

tbh, i don't really think this was an oversight. as conspiratorial as it sounds, how could they *not* know the negative connotations that would/could be associated with displaying that new text?

i mean seriously, how many posts have been like "OMFG i just can't *wait* to show people what i made with the 'personal' version!!1!!111"..

seriously? really?

 

You need a game to look pro with a pro logo, then we won't have choice to take on another solution for that game and keep personnal edition for personnal games only


I'm making mobile games, for them i won't care a lot about "Personnal" logo.
But i'm considering a game for desktop, i don't have the 3D content made but i have working gameplay in both Unity and UE4.
I'm still not deciced to make it with one or another , but that Unity "Personnal" logo .... it is just pushing me to Blueprints world.

 

Maybe it's just a bad translation from the Danish or something. Maybe in Danish it means something really awesome.

let me check...

lavet med personlig udgave​

Now doesn't that sound more awesome? Can we have the option to have the text in Danish please?

 

lol

 

Yeah! That "Personal Edition" kills me XD

 

What about:

essential / unlimited

 

Not necessarily. It might be a free download or demo version with the option to upgrade or have in-game purchases.

If I downloaded a demo which said "Personal Edition" on it, I might think that either I'd accidentally downloaded a beta version or a ripped off version or be wondering what the hell is a personal edition?

In particular it could be read as "Made with Unity. Personal Edition." Which means the game is the personal edition not Unity.

It would dissuade me from upgrading for sure.

Unity. Don't fight this one. It ain't worth it. fo sho.

 

My wife helps me with my apps/games. I asked her:

The word is heavily loaded. It has LOTS of connotations, with few of them being positive in a game. "Angry Birds Personal Edition" is ludicrous. I hope they change it to Indie, though honestly, I prefer the old tag, "Powered By Unity"! And in the end, my wife is probably right - few users will notice, and even fewer will care.

Gigi

 

I made a suggestion for a better splash screen (IMHO the perfect one) basically this:
Show the Unity logo / the same logo animation like the new one but only a text like:
Unity - Democratizing Game Development

Because a splash screen is basically advertisement for a product and not a punishment for developers who can't afford the higher edition. Plus since yesterday it's one engine with the same features...the additional services could be called like that the "professional services bundle" and the ones that might be accessed by subscription call just like that. But anyway this should only be something between us unity user's and UT, gamers should not know the financial situation of a game developer. Here the link to vote:
Click here

And here what I wrote there:

Spoiler: Suggestion for the perfect splash screen

Hello everyone I usually don't comment UT's decision when I don't like them. I just accept them and make my conclusions. While I'm only a free edition user (since 2.6) mainly because for the lack of an Linux Editor, I never feel the right to even be listened and therefore I stay in silence also in the forums. I really appreciate what you give us (especially us with limited budget) this big piece of this delicious cake (I'm Italian most of the metaphors I make are based in food sorry for that).

To make it short I really feel this splash screen as a slapbin our face. It's like pointing with the finger at someone and saying didn't buy/subscribe the "professional edition". In the last years we mainly talked about Unity and Unity Pro. Yesterday you announced that there is essentially one engine, same features etc. Even the comparison table states that. But at runtime you show the gamers that the developer didn't subscribe/buy the other services during developmen. OK you don't say that directly but you show the gamers that the developer didn't have the money for the other edition. Worse than that, people often assume that a " personal" named edition can't be used commercially, people assume it's for private use only...anyway we all are proud to use Unity and have no problem showing it (without declaring our financial situation).

A splash screen is mainly an advertisement and not a punishment. Why don't you just show the Unity logo and then the text:

"Unity - Democratizing Game Development" or something like that?

We love to advertise our beloved game engine. Plus such a splash screen would surely drive more and more people into Unity or at least look it up if not already known what it is. Boom this is a statement. If you say it in the Unite conferences only we see and hear that. If you give it us as the splash screen every gamer that plays a Unity game sees it.... What do you think about that? I really appreciate what we have am grateful for what we get. But this "personal edition" splash screen feels so wrong... remembers me when I made my first steps in 1999 with Microsoft Visual C++ 6 Working Model Version that was included in some programming books. That dialog was such a face slap....
Please consider the splash screen as ad for Unity and not a punishment. These days these details make the difference for or against a product, by having all those options. People subscribe for the professional edition when they need those services, not for eliminating a splash screen. I mean with all respect we are in 2015....

 

For the free edition. Maybe "Unity - Powering Indie Games". This is good advertising as an indie programmer seeing this splash screen will think "Hmm.. I might try that then." Although not all things made in Unity are Indie Games so maybe not.

 

I think it all depends on who your market is. If you are selling games directly to players then it seems a minor thing. If your customers are B2B apps, corporate presentations, kiosks, catalogs, band promo apps, or anything outsider the gamer world the Unity logo is somewhat meaningless but the "personal edition" label might become an appearance issue with a client. Free vs $3000 is a bit of a jump for non-corporate artists to publish to ios without "Personal Edition" being splashed up front....

 

Doh. I knew I should have waited to download it. Now they're going to change it and I'm going to have to download it again!

 

Yes. I would like to have my own splash screen, and am willing to pay a fair price for it. $4500 is not a fair price.

If I cannot have my own splash screen, I would like to give the user a better first impression than currently. That is not minor.

I like the features of Unity, the things I would like changing are nitpicking in comparison, or are hopefully temporary in nature (the current state of iOS builds, that are slow, overly large, and still have issues, all part of the transition to IL2CPP).

 

I think that this would be cool.

UnityEngine - TheeEngine

Idk really though.

 

I think they should allow free users to customize the splash screen all they like and instead force people to buy pro if their revenue is over $10000 a year (instead of the $100000 limit they have now).

 

1) Live-update reflections
2) simple peer-to-peer networking (event, messaging, audio, textures, whatever)
3) ability to add blendshapes to FBX models (so I don't need Blender or any other "magic unicorn" that does FBX consistently over any 2 consecutive releases...)

... that's all I can think of...
Notice "free" wasn't actually on that list.

 

1. SSR coming to unity in a future release.
2. UNet coming to unity (I can't reveal when it's planned, but its not awesomely long now)
3. afaik .dae is supported in Unity

 

"Powering Games" instead of "Powering Indie Games" would be better, but as like you said not all things made in Unity are Games.... So this would push me even go futher and propose several splash screens, that can be used in specic case or a general one like "Unity - Democratizing Creativity". The point is a splash screen should be something positive for the engine, the game developer and in conclusion for the player as well. Maybe some players can be inspired and then they search for Unity to see if they can do something similar too. Seriously even a game engine like 3d Gamestudio had already in 2003 a better statement on it's splash screen, If I remember right it was something like "Powered By Acknex Engine" or Powered by 3d Gamestudio" without including the name of the edition (it was available as standard, extra, commercial and professional), 12 years ago....and yes I'm one of the users back then I used Acknex 5 and 6. The most actual is Acknex 8 and it's still a joke, but a joke with a better splash screen statement lol

 

Well In Finland you get over 10k a year for just sitting at home doing nothing (or messing around with Unity) and anyways people who earn only like 10k would not pay pro prices in this world.

 

Ahh, yeah let me abridge #3 to ability to add blendshapes to a model in Unity. I don't really care what format, like if I have two OBJs ready to merge into a single model, whatever native format Unity uses does not matter to me.

Awesome on the other stuff! I like leaks!

 

Not sure if serious

I meant that if you make more than $10000 with games you have created using Unity, then you would have to buy Pro license.

I did not mean you would have to buy Pro license if your cleaning job wage or social welfare earnings are more than $10k a year.

 

I totally get that we are getting something for free and have no right to complain. But I think something that Unity should keep in mind is that the people complaining aren't the usual suspects. Many of us who don't like the wording are people who have defended Unity many times in the past. I don't want to sound ungrateful. I am not. I am super thrilled and extremely thankful for what you have given us. But I don't think that disqualifies me, or anyone else, from expressing an opinion. As has been said by plenty of other people, the word 'personal' has a meaning in the software world. It means 'non-commercial'. At least for most software. If Unity folks are so married to the word personal, that's fine. We'll deal with it. But it seems like getting rid of it does everyone a favor and keeping it does no one any favors. Different wording sounds more professional for everyone involved.

 

She may be right, I suspect she is. However, we really do not know. Most casual users probably won't notice. If someone is making a hardcore game, maybe they will.

Your point is spot on. It is a loaded word, which means it can say different things to different people. I certainly do not speak for all women, but then neither does your wife. Three women here were bothered by it. Maybe we are the only ones in the entire world...but I doubt it. At the very least it is easy enough to ridicule.

 

Well you were comparing it directly to the 100k limit. It's a lot simpler for them to check a persons/business earnings than track down possible earnings in a world where microtransactions and f2p is more common than paid stuff. Management nightmare.

 

It would be totally ok to lower the revenue for forcing people into buying / subscribing to the professional edition. Maybe 10k is to heavy in some countries but at least 25k would be ok. I mean when someone earns that money in revenues he/she has some success.....there are still a lot of people who only do non-comercial stuff but want to present it as good as possible for various reasons. This splash screen is just such a bad thing....it's not the screen the problem, but those two words "personal edition" make the difference. And it's unfair especially as we now have the same features...If a free edition user makes a game that has the same quality like a professional edition user, why should to the gamers appear the quality of the game as limited by a "personal edition".

Like already said by many people it sounds like limited and even illegal to distribute the content you make with it. It would be sad to not use Unity because of these two words, but it is an option as of today. Democratizing Game Development, this is Unity's spirit and mantra right? While surely the pro edition user contributed to the financial success of Unity, so did all those free users by spreading the word about Unity, sharing Tutorials, proposing Unity in countelss questons in discussion board around the world or defending Unity when attacked by other ones. The community made Unity what it is today....and since I started as a hobbyist game developer in 1999 as a young kid I always saw the same film: A community makes a game engine big and a community can also destroy it by leaving it...there are a lot of examples one could name here. Don't forget that

PS: on a side note reconsider your positon for Linux as a development platform. The world wide Linux community is big, you underestimate the interest for Unity as a tool for Linux users. Immagine that there are a lot of indie developers that only use exclusevly Linux as their operating system. There are a lot of crazy ones that just refuse to use Windows or Mac OS X (if it wasn't for 3 tools, me included). And yet they develop games for numerous platforms thanks to general more open minded software. Linux Users would love Unity trust me. The numerous votes here for the editor is also an indicator (but doesn't even nearly include that said users that refuse windows and mac, therefor are not here to vote at all...) I'm sure you can negotiate with your partners to support you in the process of porting it to Linux if you really wanted to.