I am just about through with gamesalad. Don't get me wrong, it's a great product. But charging uses $1999 so that you can make free applications with ads, just seams ridiculous. I'm not going to be using gamesalad because of this reason. Corona or App Inventor for android is the way I'm going. Cya later gamesalad!
Gee whiz. Gendai Games is a business, their object is to make money. They spend a lot of time in R&D to bring us a very fine product. If you don't like they way they try to make a living, for gosh sakes, try using some other software.
iAds is supose to be helping developers make more money, but keep their application free. If Gamesalad users want to use iAds they have to invest $2000 so that they can earn $50 a month if they're lucky. I'm not demonizing Gendai Games, I'm just not going to be using them anymore because of the poor choices they've made as a company, which has lead me to use other products.
Just because something cost money to develop doesn't mean that charging out the ass for is the most effective method of recouping those costs. In this case, the quantity of express users that would upgrade for a $250 Pro license would probably work better than the trickle of users that will end up caving and going Pro at the current price.
I don't think anyone is really upset with Gendai for the base product. IMHO...I think $99/year is a steal. Ask yourself this...
You have an app... If you could sell 500 a day at $.99 and 150 a day at $2.99 - which way would you go?
I think the issue is that Gendai hasn't got the right pricing model in place.
I would think overall, if they raised the price of the express version to about $149-$199/year and then dropped the pro version to $399/year...their bottom line would be better and the pricing would be more in line with the market. There might be more loyalty to the GS brand and less disheartened devs.
They are marketing a product specifically focused around indie devs. EA and Gameloft and other high budget houses are not going to use GS...its way to limiting for them.
So I suspect 98% of Gendai's user base is bedroom devs. And if they think a bunch of bedroom moonlighters are going to shell out $2K a year...its ludicrous. Not unless they have a Top 500 game...which is very difficult to achieve with the GS capabilities at play right now.
So I think generally...the community here is a bit frustrated with the pricing structure...not whether the product is meeting their needs.
They want the tools available to them to be successful and a $2K price tag is completely out of reach for most.
I would suggest to Gendai that they put more advanced tools in the PRO version...but bring price to $400/year. And then raise the base price of the Express version to $179/year.
I suspect in the end...the profit line will be better.
But if there are only 500-1000 devs using GS right now...it may not make a hoot of difference...in which case...Gendai's only hope of success is someone like Apple buying them out.
synthesis said: I suspect in the end...the profit line will be better.
I understand what you're saying, and you could be right. But we don't know Gendai's business model, so telling them how to price their products and services is a bit futile. IMO.
It would be futile for us to keep our feedback to ourselves.
Coming from a market driven company, some organizations have to pay for feedback like what Gendai is getting for free. Just because it's not flattering, doesn't mean it isn't at least partially beneficial...
iAd only for pro is kinda disappointing. Something I was hoping for was $499 for pro membership. With that price, I don't think anyone would complain. right guys?
Coming from a Pro Member I agree with iAds being a Pro feature. This is coming from someone who HAS Pro & whose Pro membership is gone come September. I have no plans to renew for Pro membership @ $1999. I had my Pro membership given to me because I was one who paid $499 for the Indie plan.
I think there needs to be a great set of features that are Pro only to make it worthwhile. I DO believe that iAds, Gamecenter, & inApp purchasing all need to be Pro only. Indie is a great starting point to get a couple basic games out & then eventually migrate to Pro.
HOWEVER, the above statements are only true if Pro pricing was brought down. I have absolutely no problem paying a yearly subscription fee, but I believe $499 would be a more reasonable point, since it IS yearly. I even think $699 would be fair. I think that would still generate a lot of business. I would jump on renewal of Pro at that point, but I tend to agree that $1999 is just too much.
synthesis said: I restate my point that inAp purchasing will be the most powerful tool for those who wish to make money in Apps. inApp purchasing allows a dev to market their captive audience with more of their own content. This is huge when the sole catalyst for making money in the app store is proper exposure. If an when you DO have a successful title (via free or pay), then you can harvest that amazing exposure into more $$$.
Screw iAds...its a short lived profit model. Once the market becomes immune to them...they will ignore them or hate you for including them. It will become a thorn in the users side...NO ONE LIKES ADVERTISEMENTS in games...and it can cause a backlash at you in using it. In utilities or social apps...it makes more sense...but not in games.
In-App purchasing is the single greatest opportunity to game devs. Game Center is a nice enhancement...but won't generate additional revenue...and iAds will shell out very limited revenue. But in-App purchasing...that is where the most potential for revenue growth is.
Come on people...get your priorities straight.
And is Gendai doesn't get their head on straight about pricing models...they will die sooner than later. The competition is coming and so far...they haven't shown any reasons for me to stay loyal when a better "deal" comes along.
I don't know if any of you are aware...but it sounds like Corona is close to having a drag and drop GUI...but this isn't confirmed...but their literature leads me to believe it is coming.
And if I can get a GUI interface at Corona's pricing and with their feature library, then what do I need GS for? Wake up Gendai. $2K per year is insane...its WAY out of line with the marketplace and it will kill you...QUICKLY once you have competition...and it is coming!!!
JGary321 said: Coming from a Pro Member I agree with iAds being a Pro feature. This is coming from someone who HAS Pro & whose Pro membership is gone come September. I have no plans to renew for Pro membership @ $1999. I had my Pro membership given to me because I was one who paid $499 for the Indie plan.
I think there needs to be a great set of features that are Pro only to make it worthwhile. I DO believe that iAds, Gamecenter, & inApp purchasing all need to be Pro only. Indie is a great starting point to get a couple basic games out & then eventually migrate to Pro.
HOWEVER, the above statements are only true if Pro pricing was brought down. I have absolutely no problem paying a yearly subscription fee, but I believe $499 would be a more reasonable point, since it IS yearly. I even think $699 would be fair. I think that would still generate a lot of business. I would jump on renewal of Pro at that point, but I tend to agree that $1999 is just too much.
You don't know how mad I am at iAds being Pro only.
Sure if you have one or two successful games, you can easily afford Pro. Problem is, it is REALLY hard to have a successful game. The game doesn't have just be good, it also has to be popular/have good marketing. Doesn't matter how good the game is. If no one knows your game is out, it isn't going to sell...
I'm going to have to agree with the only problem we have is the pricing structure of the Pro membership.
If we were to take a poll, I bet there are hundreds of us here who absolutely WILL NOT pay $2000 a year, for any number of reasons (broke, not a large enough return, ect.), but if the price were to be cheaper, lets say (based on popular comment) $500, ALL of those people would gladly sign up for pro.
That being said, iAd's being pro only really does not bother me at all.
In order for iAd's to make a substantial amount of money, you CANNOT ignore the fact that it must be a popular and lovable game. Throw together some images and make them do a couple things and top it off with iAd's is not going to do anything for you.
My thoughts are, if the game is popular and very well made, it will do well as a paid application. Why bother making it free just to include advertisements that provide a smaller profit return?
We developers have to make a living and feed our families, but so do all of the people who work for Gendai games. This tool and these features dont just appear over night. This is a very large group effort put forth by multiple developers who spend not just a little time, but ALL of their time providing us with this product and attempting to make it better.
With that said, lets take a look at some theoretical numbers then. For the sake of this argument, lets say that a poll shows 200 GS developers say they would absolutely upgrade to pro if priced at $500, but otherwise will not. We have had this discussion multiple times about hacking our games. These are the people who would have never purchased in first place.
So:
200 x $99 = $19,800
200 x $499 = $99,800
I am in full agreement that you will make more money selling a larger quantity of a product at a lower cost. Gendai could potentially gain a lot by doing this, but at the same time, thats not up to me.
I am fully aware of what GameSalad DOES and DOES NOT offer when I download and install and pay my fee's. I have the option to walk away and not bother but I dont, because I know with this product I can do things I never dreamed possible!
So in the end, I will make my games, and I will use the great new features that make use of the iPhone 4 display, and the great additives to the editor like drag and drop between projects.
iAd's you would be great to have, but I absolutely DO NOT need you!
Thanks for everything you do Gendai! I have faith you will provide everything I want, but until then I will enjoy the great things you already do!
synthesis said: In my opinion, the real story here is that when GameCenter and inApp purchasing in integrated...those too will be Pro Features as well.
_______________________
*** visit www.spiritApps.com to check out the Spirit Connoisseur Apps *** (Rum and Vodka now available for 17+) _______________________
I will say this, if GameCenter is Pro only, I WILL give up on GameSalad, cause talk about gimping your userbase.
iPhoneDevForMe said: In order for iAd's to make a substantial amount of money, you CANNOT ignore the fact that it must be a popular and lovable game. Throw together some images and make them do a couple things and top it off with iAd's is not going to do anything for you.
My thoughts are, if the game is popular and very well made, it will do well as a paid application. Why bother making it free just to include advertisements that provide a smaller profit return?
Totally agree. You can't throw Ads on a crap game and expect to make money. In MY case I will use iAds after my sales have pretty much dropped off totally. It makes no sense to be selling Ads on a game that could be making money off of purchases. Later down the road release a freebie Ad version to make a little bit more money. Do NOT make the same one with Ads, as that will only inflame those who have paid for the current Ad-free version. Make a separate binary that would be free and then advertise on forums about your awesome game going free....
EDIT: Gamecenter WILL be Pro. I can almost guarantee. Why would iAds be Pro & not Gamecenter. Remember Pro is for SERIOUS developers. Serious developers need Gamecenter. I totally agree with it being Pro. However I think the price would need to come down as I stated before.
artonskyblue said: We should set up a GS strike!! Threaten to not pay for a membership renewal if they keep excluding us from the features that we deserve!
But we do deserve it. All other iDevice developers have access to all of these features. We shouldn't have to pay $2000 to get features that everyone else is getting for the price of their Apple license. Yeah you could make the argument that those guys can do their own coding and it takes a longer time for them to make games than us, but it isn't right for Gendai to basically be extorting us.
From GS iAds Wiki "If a user taps on a banner ad, the game will be suspended while the user views a full screen ad. Once the user exits the ad, the game will resume."
....umm so why the hell isn't there a Pause game behavior?
They're waiting on the release of the "Super Pro Membership". This will have PAUSE as well as the ability to double the resolution of any iDevice! The cost? Only $15,000/year...
@JGary - Glad you agree! The only reason I am not purchasing a PRO membership is because I just can't afford it yet. Once I make enough profit, I would have no problem, but it has to be enough profit so that $2000 doesn't clear out my bank!
@QS - Thanks! The inclusion of iAd's, which requires the ability to pause state, makes me confident that a dedicated pause function is coming soon!
I am curious as to what the members who have already paid $2000 think? How would a price drop affect you and what would you require to make it fair?
I have been working on a game on and off lately, although more off than on. I was hoping that the new update would bring life into my previous apps, but being an express member I was wrong. iads was a feature I was looking forward to and I personally don't think that $2,000 is worth it. I understand it is a "business" investment, but that is a very poor decision to invest in.
Correct me if i'm wrong, but I do believe the only people who have the pro version are those who were upgraded when the price dropped to $100. I don't know anyone on this site that has actually paid the $2,000 for pro. that is a ridiculous price for a tool that is still in "beta".
I could take $2,000 and go to some college campuses and find students who know how to code and can generate great art and animations and put together an xcode project. that to me would be a smarter "business" investment because the game will turn out how you want and you would not have to settle because GS does not have the features.
Better yet, you could take $2,000 and spend $200 on a class and take 1 semester to learn how to code and you could just hire an artist in the mean time to do your graphics and such and this would still be a smarter investment of $2,000 and this way would be cheaper then the one mentioned above.
I guess after my rant is done and through what I am trying to say is this. I feel going with GS has crippled everyone who has used it. they depend on it to make a game when in this time all of us could have learned how to code and be MUCH better off.
If I find the will to finish my current project it will be my last with GS and I do not plan on renewing my subscription I am very disappointed with GS and I don't even think I will finish the project I am on, I might be too busy in my class learning how to code for myself.
Gendai take note, this move has lost you a customer and just by the responses in this thread you have MANY upset customers who may not be far behind me.
Good luck to you all I will still probably probe around the boards to see whats up now and then.
Koda89 said: But we do deserve it. All other iDevice developers have access to all of these features. We shouldn't have to pay $2000 to get features that everyone else is getting for the price of their Apple license. Yeah you could make the argument that those guys can do their own coding and it takes a longer time for them to make games than us, but it isn't right for Gendai to basically be extorting us.
Totally disagree with your response. I listen to this all day at my job. I deserve this and that b/c I'm a loyal customer. Not really. You pay for a service that is provided. You paid $100 knowing that GS is in Beta and is constantly changing. Go learn xCode if you "deserve" the feature that badly. It will be free to you after you put in the years required to learn how to use it. Gendai doesn't owe us anything. So when BMW comes out with some awesome new feature in one of their cars, do you automatically DESERVE it and expect it to be added to your car you bought a year ago at no cost? Heck no, they would laugh in your face. You paid for a service AS IS. I'm sorry, but I get tired of people who think they deserve everything handed to them on a silver platter.
For the record, I DO NOT agree with the price structure. I agree with synthesis 100% that the pricing needs to change to reflect growing demand, since other tools are coming out. However, I do agree with a tiered plan & with iads, gamecenter, and in-app purchases being PRO only. Again my Pro membership expires in Sept & I will renew as Indie. I will be VERY tempted to pay the $2k once gamecenter comes out though. I am by no means rich. I would probably be what you considered POOR. I am married w/1 child and make around $40k a year, so I can NOT afford $2k a year, but if it's that important to me I will find a way.
I used to be an architect (until this recession put 50% of us in the US out of business). Autocad holds about 70-80% of the market share for cad. The cost? $800/yr (for PRO) and it has 25+ years behind it. 3D studio (PRO) costs about another $400-500 per year with 15+ years behind it. Photoshop is $200+/- (PRO) per year with another 15+ years behind it. So to put 3 incredibly capable software platforms in your hands still costs about half of a GS Pro license.
The point I am making is that these companies built empires on creating robust software that is fairly easy to use and does amazing things...and they priced it for the masses.
The advantage is...A small architectural project may have a budget of $40K or more and if you have 3 or 4 of those a year...it all works out.
I guess what I am saying is... App development is ENTIRELY speculative and GS is a leader RIGHT NOW in a GUI and fast development platform. They really have something special here...but they aren't going to be the only game in town in the next year or so. Others will arrive. They will port over scripting engines into a GUI and provide the same benefits GS provides.
Gendai needs to realize this and start building brand loyalty soon. It seems to me that they are assuming their entire user base is going to make 10s of 1000s of dollars a month building amateur taptards with the taptard creator they are slowly eeking out.
A small indie dev house (like ours) only has so much for software licensing...and $2K for a small little software package like GS is laughable.
I suggest they lower the price to about $500. Maybe they could charge a tax on each PRO compile then...perhaps $5 per app compile if they want to nickel and dime us.
Better yet...charge $250 dollars per license and make all licenses PRO. Now that pricing model seems COMPLETELY acceptable in conjunction with the software marketplace.
Otherwise..if they think we will all become so mesmerized by the amazing features of the PRO version rather than migrate to a competitor that offers it for free...well...good luck with that business plan.
To be honest...the first new software that shows up that presents a competitive product to GS...I won't hesitate to jump ship...as I am sure...its pricing model will beat GS...which wouldn't be hard to do in its current state. More than likely it will be open source and you can't beat free.
JGary321 said: Totally disagree with your response. I listen to this all day at my job. I deserve this and that b/c I'm a loyal customer. Not really. You pay for a service that is provided. You paid $100 knowing that GS is in Beta and is constantly changing. Go learn xCode if you "deserve" the feature that badly. It will be free to you after you put in the years required to learn how to use it. Gendai doesn't owe us anything. So when BMW comes out with some awesome new feature in one of their cars, do you automatically DESERVE it and expect it to be added to your car you bought a year ago at no cost? Heck no, they would laugh in your face. You paid for a service AS IS. I'm sorry, but I get tired of people who think they deserve everything handed to them on a silver platter.
For the record, I DO NOT agree with the price structure. I agree with synthesis 100% that the pricing needs to change to reflect growing demand, since other tools are coming out. However, I do agree with a tiered plan & with iads, gamecenter, and in-app purchases being PRO only. Again my Pro membership expires in Sept & I will renew as Indie. I will be VERY tempted to pay the $2k once gamecenter comes out though. I am by no means rich. I would probably be what you considered POOR. I am married w/1 child and make around $40k a year, so I can NOT afford $2k a year, but if it's that important to me I will find a way.
JGary
Dude, that isn't a fair comparison. All we are really paying for with GameSalad is the ability to make games without having to directly interact with Xcode.
If I had known I would have to pay twice that of what those who use Xcode pay but get less features from it, I would NOT have paid for GameSalad. I quite honestly would've learned how to use Xcode, instead, or go with a cheaper program and deal with learning some coding. As it stands, right now GameSalad is starting to border on a rip off. And if GameCenter is Pro-only, then GameSalad WILL be a rip off, cause they will be basically cutting most of their users off at the knees.
So despite allowing us to be ahead of the curve, so to speak, with the iPad, letting us have the edge on most of the competition(fat lot that did thanks to Apple's structuring of the iPad store, btw), they are more or less holding us back now when it comes to iOS4, and that is BULLS***!
Kinda makes me wish Apple does ban GameSalad users from submitting apps, to be honest.
Comments
But let's stop demonizing them.
They offer a hell of a product for $99.
Just because something cost money to develop doesn't mean that charging out the ass for is the most effective method of recouping those costs. In this case, the quantity of express users that would upgrade for a $250 Pro license would probably work better than the trickle of users that will end up caving and going Pro at the current price.
I don't think anyone is really upset with Gendai for the base product. IMHO...I think $99/year is a steal. Ask yourself this...
You have an app...
If you could sell 500 a day at $.99 and 150 a day at $2.99 - which way would you go?
I think the issue is that Gendai hasn't got the right pricing model in place.
I would think overall, if they raised the price of the express version to about $149-$199/year and then dropped the pro version to $399/year...their bottom line would be better and the pricing would be more in line with the market. There might be more loyalty to the GS brand and less disheartened devs.
They are marketing a product specifically focused around indie devs. EA and Gameloft and other high budget houses are not going to use GS...its way to limiting for them.
So I suspect 98% of Gendai's user base is bedroom devs. And if they think a bunch of bedroom moonlighters are going to shell out $2K a year...its ludicrous. Not unless they have a Top 500 game...which is very difficult to achieve with the GS capabilities at play right now.
So I think generally...the community here is a bit frustrated with the pricing structure...not whether the product is meeting their needs.
They want the tools available to them to be successful and a $2K price tag is completely out of reach for most.
I would suggest to Gendai that they put more advanced tools in the PRO version...but bring price to $400/year. And then raise the base price of the Express version to $179/year.
I suspect in the end...the profit line will be better.
But if there are only 500-1000 devs using GS right now...it may not make a hoot of difference...in which case...Gendai's only hope of success is someone like Apple buying them out.
Coming from a market driven company, some organizations have to pay for feedback like what Gendai is getting for free. Just because it's not flattering, doesn't mean it isn't at least partially beneficial...
Something I was hoping for was $499 for pro membership.
With that price, I don't think anyone would complain. right guys?
I think there needs to be a great set of features that are Pro only to make it worthwhile. I DO believe that iAds, Gamecenter, & inApp purchasing all need to be Pro only. Indie is a great starting point to get a couple basic games out & then eventually migrate to Pro.
HOWEVER, the above statements are only true if Pro pricing was brought down. I have absolutely no problem paying a yearly subscription fee, but I believe $499 would be a more reasonable point, since it IS yearly. I even think $699 would be fair. I think that would still generate a lot of business. I would jump on renewal of Pro at that point, but I tend to agree that $1999 is just too much.
Just the 3 cents of an old GS veteran.....
Sure if you have one or two successful games, you can easily afford Pro. Problem is, it is REALLY hard to have a successful game. The game doesn't have just be good, it also has to be popular/have good marketing. Doesn't matter how good the game is. If no one knows your game is out, it isn't going to sell...
If we were to take a poll, I bet there are hundreds of us here who absolutely WILL NOT pay $2000 a year, for any number of reasons (broke, not a large enough return, ect.), but if the price were to be cheaper, lets say (based on popular comment) $500, ALL of those people would gladly sign up for pro.
That being said, iAd's being pro only really does not bother me at all.
In order for iAd's to make a substantial amount of money, you CANNOT ignore the fact that it must be a popular and lovable game. Throw together some images and make them do a couple things and top it off with iAd's is not going to do anything for you.
My thoughts are, if the game is popular and very well made, it will do well as a paid application. Why bother making it free just to include advertisements that provide a smaller profit return?
We developers have to make a living and feed our families, but so do all of the people who work for Gendai games. This tool and these features dont just appear over night. This is a very large group effort put forth by multiple developers who spend not just a little time, but ALL of their time providing us with this product and attempting to make it better.
With that said, lets take a look at some theoretical numbers then. For the sake of this argument, lets say that a poll shows 200 GS developers say they would absolutely upgrade to pro if priced at $500, but otherwise will not. We have had this discussion multiple times about hacking our games. These are the people who would have never purchased in first place.
So:
200 x $99 = $19,800
200 x $499 = $99,800
I am in full agreement that you will make more money selling a larger quantity of a product at a lower cost. Gendai could potentially gain a lot by doing this, but at the same time, thats not up to me.
I am fully aware of what GameSalad DOES and DOES NOT offer when I download and install and pay my fee's. I have the option to walk away and not bother but I dont, because I know with this product I can do things I never dreamed possible!
So in the end, I will make my games, and I will use the great new features that make use of the iPhone 4 display, and the great additives to the editor like drag and drop between projects.
iAd's you would be great to have, but I absolutely DO NOT need you!
Thanks for everything you do Gendai! I have faith you will provide everything I want, but until then I will enjoy the great things you already do!
-Kyle
EDIT: Gamecenter WILL be Pro. I can almost guarantee. Why would iAds be Pro & not Gamecenter. Remember Pro is for SERIOUS developers. Serious developers need Gamecenter. I totally agree with it being Pro. However I think the price would need to come down as I stated before.
JGary
@Kyle - very good post, sir.
QS
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
....umm so why the hell isn't there a Pause game behavior?
@QS - Thanks! The inclusion of iAd's, which requires the ability to pause state, makes me confident that a dedicated pause function is coming soon!
I am curious as to what the members who have already paid $2000 think? How would a price drop affect you and what would you require to make it fair?
Correct me if i'm wrong, but I do believe the only people who have the pro version are those who were upgraded when the price dropped to $100. I don't know anyone on this site that has actually paid the $2,000 for pro. that is a ridiculous price for a tool that is still in "beta".
I could take $2,000 and go to some college campuses and find students who know how to code and can generate great art and animations and put together an xcode project. that to me would be a smarter "business" investment because the game will turn out how you want and you would not have to settle because GS does not have the features.
Better yet, you could take $2,000 and spend $200 on a class and take 1 semester to learn how to code and you could just hire an artist in the mean time to do your graphics and such and this would still be a smarter investment of $2,000 and this way would be cheaper then the one mentioned above.
I guess after my rant is done and through what I am trying to say is this. I feel going with GS has crippled everyone who has used it. they depend on it to make a game when in this time all of us could have learned how to code and be MUCH better off.
If I find the will to finish my current project it will be my last with GS and I do not plan on renewing my subscription I am very disappointed with GS and I don't even think I will finish the project I am on, I might be too busy in my class learning how to code for myself.
Gendai take note, this move has lost you a customer and just by the responses in this thread you have MANY upset customers who may not be far behind me.
Good luck to you all I will still probably probe around the boards to see whats up now and then.
Cheap developers do not need *pause*, because their games aren't as good -- people don't *pause* poorly written games they just delete them...
For the record, I DO NOT agree with the price structure. I agree with synthesis 100% that the pricing needs to change to reflect growing demand, since other tools are coming out. However, I do agree with a tiered plan & with iads, gamecenter, and in-app purchases being PRO only. Again my Pro membership expires in Sept & I will renew as Indie. I will be VERY tempted to pay the $2k once gamecenter comes out though. I am by no means rich. I would probably be what you considered POOR. I am married w/1 child and make around $40k a year, so I can NOT afford $2k a year, but if it's that important to me I will find a way.
JGary
I like what you are saying...
But $2K a year is still out of bounds.
I used to be an architect (until this recession put 50% of us in the US out of business). Autocad holds about 70-80% of the market share for cad. The cost? $800/yr (for PRO) and it has 25+ years behind it. 3D studio (PRO) costs about another $400-500 per year with 15+ years behind it. Photoshop is $200+/- (PRO) per year with another 15+ years behind it. So to put 3 incredibly capable software platforms in your hands still costs about half of a GS Pro license.
The point I am making is that these companies built empires on creating robust software that is fairly easy to use and does amazing things...and they priced it for the masses.
The advantage is...A small architectural project may have a budget of $40K or more and if you have 3 or 4 of those a year...it all works out.
I guess what I am saying is...
App development is ENTIRELY speculative and GS is a leader RIGHT NOW in a GUI and fast development platform. They really have something special here...but they aren't going to be the only game in town in the next year or so. Others will arrive. They will port over scripting engines into a GUI and provide the same benefits GS provides.
Gendai needs to realize this and start building brand loyalty soon. It seems to me that they are assuming their entire user base is going to make 10s of 1000s of dollars a month building amateur taptards with the taptard creator they are slowly eeking out.
A small indie dev house (like ours) only has so much for software licensing...and $2K for a small little software package like GS is laughable.
I suggest they lower the price to about $500. Maybe they could charge a tax on each PRO compile then...perhaps $5 per app compile if they want to nickel and dime us.
Better yet...charge $250 dollars per license and make all licenses PRO. Now that pricing model seems COMPLETELY acceptable in conjunction with the software marketplace.
Otherwise..if they think we will all become so mesmerized by the amazing features of the PRO version rather than migrate to a competitor that offers it for free...well...good luck with that business plan.
To be honest...the first new software that shows up that presents a competitive product to GS...I won't hesitate to jump ship...as I am sure...its pricing model will beat GS...which wouldn't be hard to do in its current state. More than likely it will be open source and you can't beat free.
If I had known I would have to pay twice that of what those who use Xcode pay but get less features from it, I would NOT have paid for GameSalad. I quite honestly would've learned how to use Xcode, instead, or go with a cheaper program and deal with learning some coding. As it stands, right now GameSalad is starting to border on a rip off. And if GameCenter is Pro-only, then GameSalad WILL be a rip off, cause they will be basically cutting most of their users off at the knees.
So despite allowing us to be ahead of the curve, so to speak, with the iPad, letting us have the edge on most of the competition(fat lot that did thanks to Apple's structuring of the iPad store, btw), they are more or less holding us back now when it comes to iOS4, and that is BULLS***!
Kinda makes me wish Apple does ban GameSalad users from submitting apps, to be honest.