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This Icon Collective / Yggdrasil Content pack thing is confusing

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by ceebeee, Nov 15, 2018.

  1. ceebeee

    ceebeee

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    https://assetstore.unity.com/icon-collective-volume-1-yggdrasil

    Ok first off this page is so broken, doesn't display properly in Firefox or Edge, only in Chrome. Took me forever to figure that out so I could even read what it was about.

    Secondly it states:

    "All files from the Cinematic Trailer (character animations, cameras, timeline, music and sound design)"

    What trailer are they talking about? There is no trailer I can find anywhere on the internet from Unity called Yggdrasil or Icon Collective.

    So I don't see how they think anyone will spend/preorder this for $250 dollars when they don't even really show what you're getting. Can someone shed some light on this?
     
    Karasu416, Regularry and radman5 like this.
  2. ginconic

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    Thought the same thing and decided to look up if someone has anything to say. I think your post is about the only one so far.

    I think what they are trying to do is set a new standard and then invite developers to add more high quality content (i.e. icon collective certified) and then more developers would follow,seeing this content does well on the store. In general, imo they are trying to raise the general quality of art packages on the assetstore. I would actually also like to port my UE stuff to Unity, but never even thought it would be necessary.

    Still, I think unity has a tendency to do things 'the other way around'. I'd actually love to see tons of good quality 'generic' stuff released, rather than a world with a characters that, really, if they look like the one from the screenshots on that page, where exactly am I going to fit that character?

    In fact, would have been best is they let the community choose what they want to see in there.



    Edit: Just saw that it's free with Unity Pro.
     
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2018
  3. spacefrog

    spacefrog

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    For me it's confusing too
    There is a button that tells me Get Volume 1: Yggdrasil free with Unity Pro
    Is this for NEW Pro users only if the purchase a (new) pro seat
    Whats with existing - long term - pro users/owners like me ?
    Do not qualified for that then ?
     
  4. Murgilod

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    They've done something like that in the past, iirc. It used to be (or still is) that they'd send out promotions for free assets if you signed up for plus or pro, but existing customers didn't get jack.

    I wasn't even an existing customer at the time and I thought that was kinda ehhnnnn...
     
  5. AndersMalmgren

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    Why would someone pay 249 for something alot of people will call asset flip?
     
  6. ceebeee

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    That's fine, and they are offering it to regular users for a price, but My main problem is they say "you get everything you see here in this trailer", and then don't provide the trailer. So how do you know what you're getting? It doesn't even have a regular Asset store page so you can see the contents.
     
  7. Kiwasi

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    Its a marketing ploy. "Free with Unity pro" incites a lot of people to buy subscriptions they don't actually need, just to get the free stuff. Unity is in the business of making games. But they are also in the business of selling dreams.

    I don't think they expect anyone to buy the pack outright.
     
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  8. Kiwasi

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    From Unity's perspective, its worth increasing the graphical quality of asset flips.
     
  9. AndersMalmgren

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    Don't think people will care, asset flip is asset flip :)
     
  10. hippocoder

    hippocoder

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    Great art, know one of the artists, he's a solid guy. But the marketing of all this is very poor and highly pretentious... really dislike all the fancy stuff, wanted to see solid data on the assets they're charging a lot for.

    Got icon gibberish and a lot of waffle... not good news for the price. Hopefully this feedback will be seen and steps will be made to clarify the data and content in exchange for the money.
     
  11. LaneFox

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    Agreed, it's not clear what is in the package. A lot of the images are just concept art. It's a good idea but there's no real information to be had.
     
  12. ceebeee

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  13. hippocoder

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    The marketing is confusing in the blog. It's a bunch of mixed messages. Doesn't seem clear on what I'm supposed to buy or react to.
     
  14. hopeful

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    When Unity releases a new version they often have a demo that displays the new features, like the Blacksmith, the Dr. Charles Francis lounge at Unity Labs, Book of the Dead, etc.

    I think they decided to take that a step further and make an additional demo package available as an inducement to join the Unity Pro program.
     
  15. ceebeee

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    Also I think the naming is a bit unfortunate. When I read "Icon Pack" I think it's going to be a pack of icons for using in an inventory system or something.
     
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  16. ginconic

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    That's what I thought when I read the email; almost rushed to buy a new Pro subscription. For some reason "Icon Collective" in my mind sounded like a "Collective Effort to Create Icon Pack(s)". Imagine $250 worth of quality icons and gui elements. Oh, the dreams.

    Amway, people are talking about it = marketing successful. Probably gonna be some really bad-ass art in there though.
     
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  17. hippocoder

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    Not sure about that. If you read what people are saying here, they're saying "we're not buying".

    Cos the marketing is terrible. It's only successful marketing if people actually know what they're getting. I still have no idea what I'd be getting. And I have pro so I'll get it anyway. But my point is... I want Unity to improve what I consider a shaky start.

    The artists deserve more than that.
     
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  18. Mauri

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    It feels like this whole thing was rushed... Not good.
     
  19. hippocoder

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    Blog posts are queued quite a while in advance though... I suspect this is more about advertising to potential asset store artists than it is actually selling the packs at this point.
     
    LaneFox likes this.
  20. LaneFox

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    It is more about stimulating the creation of high quality content than it is direct revenue sales from the ICON packs themselves. Publishers have some incentive to contribute to creating content that fits in these ICON worlds, so theoretically it will turn out to be a boon to the overall store ecosystem.
     
    hopeful likes this.
  21. ceebeee

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    I have to wonder though. I mean, the aesthetic has a quality and polish, but does it really fit anyone's game? Would an asset store full of similarly styled items really contribute something to the store and it's customers as a whole? It feels like such a small niche. But they do say there will be future packs, I hope they vary the styles a lot each time, then maybe as a whole it will make more sense.
     
    hopeful likes this.
  22. LaneFox

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    Of course, there is already such content on the store and it is profitable. Unity is simply incentivizing higher quality and drawing attention by pioneering it.
     
  23. hippocoder

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    Personally, I'd love to see way more media on the asset store. Art, models, sounds, etc - I don't want to see code. If there's code it's probably going to be a high chance that it will get depreciated and piss people off especially given Unity is so node driven now and that's not slowing down.

    Of course there's some good strong code based assets but they are if we're going to be honest, a rarity.

    So I'm all for more art on the store.
     
  24. tatoforever

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    What I got out of the blog and emails is "Lets get a bunch of AAA content creators and create high quality packs of assets". But I'm not sure if I can for instance showcase my shadow system with ICON assets or if it's only for the end user (non asset store developers)?
    I'm about to hire an artists to create assets for my upcoming new shadow system, this could be an option but again, I'm not sure what I'm buying and how I can use these assets.
    PS: I don't intent to resell the assets, it's only for showcase / promotional videos of my upcoming products.
     
  25. ceebeee

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    I took this paragraph on the blog to mean you could use it for showcasing:

    But I would assume that to mean you could only use it for videos and screenshots, and not for including with your package.
     
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  26. orb

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    I think I somehow know less after browsing that page.
     
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  27. IgnisIncendio

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    Personally my first thought was that Unity was trying to combat UE4's Paragon packs, like free AAA-quality example content to draw newcomers in (after all, nobody would use Paragon assets for games to be sold, right?)

    But then it's $250, so I'm not quite sure what it's for anymore.
     
  28. Kiwasi

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    Its just a number so that they can advertise it "$250 assets free with pro". They don't expect anyone to actually pay it.
     
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  29. Well, will see what is it after December the 13th. Until then I won't judge neither pro nor con.
     
  30. ceebeee

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  31. Murgilod

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    Do they honest to god expect us to spend $250 on this when it's all so highly specialised that there's no way to make it work in a game? Like, this is a joke, right? Maybe there's some reusability in the audio files I guess but for the same amount of money I could get some decent audio files on their own and then some, or even buy the tools needed to make my own.

    Who the hell is this even for?
     
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  32. zombiegorilla

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    Hobbyists. Hobbyists with disposable income. A pretty decent sized chunk of unity’s base, and one that spends lots of money. People that are spending tons of money in the asset store already. A lot of people use unity and spend money on assets without ever intending to release a game. It’s like a more complex Minecraft for a lot of people. This thing serves a couple of purposes, it generates revenue for unity, and it serves as good marketing. If someone is an actual game developer, it’s not for us. For everyone else, it’s shiny toys.
     
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  33. Murgilod

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    All the assets I bought as a hobbiest were far less specialised than this. Even the "this is literally just an RTS framework you can reskin" thing I bought thinking it was extensible was more versatile than this. This is a goddamned diorama.
     
  34. hopeful

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    Yeah, I was going to say, "UAS whales." ;)
     
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  35. Billy4184

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    Seriously though where would this thing ever fit in? Even the characters from the robot tech demo were far more versatile than this. It looks like some kind of postmodern art statement. Don't get me wrong, it looks cool but there's maybe one game in the universe where it wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.
     
  36. Kiwasi

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    As I keep mentioning, I don't think they are trying to sell it to anyone.

    The asset is designed to push people over the fence to pro before they actually need it. The number is just made up as a marketing technique. This is a marketing push to sell more pro licenses.
     
  37. AcidArrow

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    How though? That implies that this asset is desirable to someone who is considering getting Pro.
     
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  38. Socrates

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    If you give people free stuff, they are more likely to buy something from you.

    It's stupid, but it works. It is just a piece of human psychology. You can read about it in detail if you're willing to do a little digging.
     
  39. I'm pretty much a Unity whale. My body weight is way over 250 pounds...
    What? The other one? Oh yes, sorry.
    So, I'm a Unity Whale, I think I already spent over $1000 over the years. And not necessarily because I'm planning to use these assets, but because I think it's cool to support the developers who do a great job.
    But I do not consider buying this and because this is a concrete game, it's not usable outside of it. And to be honest, I have a very strong Horizon Zero Down aftertaste when I look at the concept arts.
    (Don't get me wrong, HZD is probably a great game, it looks good on the videos - I don't buy a console just to play it though, but I don't buy a console for anything)

    Maybe some parts would be reusable, but the majority what we saw up until now is awfully specific. And I wouldn't support a starving developer with my money..
     
  40. Murgilod

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    Except there is other free stuff they could have given away. Stuff that already exists. Stuff that people might want.
     
  41. AcidArrow

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    I have Pro. I just got an email to redeem this asset pack. Not sure if I’m going to bother.
     
  42. hippocoder

    hippocoder

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    The Icon thing needs to change though, the wording is foolish and counter productive for SEO.
     
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  43. spacefrog

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    I just redeemed my pack. I'm not quite sure about it yet , but i can already say it's pretty massive: 11GB unitypackage download which expands to a 16GB project ( if imported into an empty )
    Was'nt able to get any scene running because of missing scripts/compile errors and not sure about the thing still being under perforce version control as it seems ( whats the consequence for me ? ) ?
    Second import into fresh project is currently running , hope for better luck this time ...
     
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  44. thunderdawn

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    I think it all comes down to the situation with 3D indie games.

    1) Cheap or simple looking assets. Unless the game is very cool and unique, you end up kicked by literally everyone from gamers to critics because 3D is the AAA playground, you either look good or you can't sit with us.
    Here goes the endless stream of "unity horrors" that use darkness to hide basic assets, bad textures, and the overall lack of art direction.

    2) Being good at 3D art and set design and the whole pipeline involved in creating environment and characters. And even then you either make a really small game, or spend many years making one.

    3) Being good at design and kitbashing. Make some, buy some, but create a coherent, artistic, your own visual at the end. I believe a lot of people from 2) end up doing this. I can name a few rather successful indie games that seemed to do exactly this. But it requires skill, too, less technical maybe but you essentially need to be an art director able to create signature visuals.

    4) Buy a big set of high quality assets and hope it's enough. And I'm not talking about asset flip, I mean people genuinely making games. There is a big demand for this, it seems like, not just assets to be used as a base for kitbashing, but ready-made scenes.
     
  45. Teila

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    Absolutely! In some of the Discord chats, people are jumping on this...but all that means is that there will be a bunch of games with the same characters and art as others. Most of the people I see buying them or jumping on the hype and signing up for Plus/Pro are newcomers to game development. Yeah, we all do it, buy from the asset store like crazy when we first start and then never use half of what we buy..if even that many.

    Problem is that these pieces will be "Iconic" as they will end up in a lot of games, some where they do not belong, will barely match the other artwork used to fill in the games, and because they are so unique, will be useless to most of us.

    High quality generic art would be much more useful to most of us. Modular packs, general characters like peasant, marine, etc., and scenery pieces that fit into different types of worlds. That tree in the Icon pack is amazing, and that one wonderful tree is fine I think...but again, because it is so iconic, it will be noticed over and over again. Nothing wrong with that and maybe it will be like a Unity Splash screen but in your game. :)

    Kudos to upping the quality, but I would think there would be a better way to do this. Give away some high quality art assets instead of only tools. I mean, how many of us have numerous unused vouchers for Gaia? Do we need more?
     
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  46. zombiegorilla

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    I finally took a good look at (partially because it is smeared all over the site and store). It. Honestly, just don’t get it. As others have said, it’s super specific. And really, not that good. Should have contracted an art director instead. I really don’t get why they are promoting it that heavily.
     
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  47. Murgilod

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    inb4 the icon pack is actually an elaborate money laundering scheme for the Triad
     
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  48. xVergilx

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    1 Character that cannot be used in about any game (unless you're reeeeeeeaally in dire need for some character for prototyping, but then again. Free characters, asset store.).
    Some environment assets is good. But you can buy packs way better for the same price, and at larger quantities, and then kitbash the hellaut of them. This one isn't that great for that.
    SFX? Idk lol, why?
    VFX? Meh, I'd rather make my own for the specific needs, or buy 20$ pack that contains 300+ of them and kitbash again.
    Scripts? Lmao. Just, don't. Go make your own ones, those will suck infinitely.

    It feels like a cash grab. It smells like a cash grab.
    It is made for the people who doesn't understand how to make games at all.

    Yeah, it is a cash grab.

    And it has deciving name on top of it.
    *GetsFallout76_Flashbacks*
    free.jpg

    It just works.

    And it weights 16GB. Lmao.
    At least it is free for the Pro license, right?
     
  49. texdata

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    uuuuuu... what a bunch of spoiled brats ^^, judging something you haven't even seen up close. Pack is nicely done, not for all users though, takes a bit of time & skill to set it up properly. Kudos to artists !!
     
  50. rasto61

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    Precisely part of the problem. We can only judge it based on the information they provide. Lots of big words about the pack everywhere on the asset store and the pack's dedicated site but after reading all, I have no idea what I would be getting for $250. The asset store page has 5 images that say exactly nothing.
    There's also a 'Get Free With Unity Pro' button just about everywhere next to the price of the pack.
    Feels more like a marketing ploy, at which point I'd rather just get megascans assets for the same price.
     
    xVergilx likes this.