Loging issue , TG4 upgrade details

Started by sKw6876, October 04, 2016, 07:04:54 PM

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sKw6876

I am for some reason not able to login into my account. It errors saying that it needs approval before login.

The other question I have is what are details of TG4 upgrade from TG3

DannyG

Did you try contacting support? That's where I would ask a customer service question
support@planetside.co.uk
New World Digital Art
NwdaGroup.com
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Oshyan

TG3 Professional upgrade to TG4 Professional is $299. There is an option to upgrade to Creative for $149, however you should be aware that the Creative version is missing some features from Professional. If you don't need those features it may be an interesting option for you, but be sure to check the product comparison to know for sure!

We'll take care of the rest via email.

- Oshyan

derKThga

#3
Speaking of upgrades, any plans to be more transparent on your site about what upgrading to 4 actually means?
I find it very confusing that you're really just getting a years worth of updates.  If Terragen is still at version 4 after a year-  I'd have to buy another year maintenance to continue receiving 4.x bug fixes. 

I hope you guys survive- but time will tell because as more maintenances expires, people are going to complain.

Some random thoughts:  This was an expensive $600 lesson.  It surprises me that it's still a beta, while being passed off as a full release version.  Everything was smoke & mirrors.  It's really just 3.0 with some extra things that are buggy, and not any more optimized than 3.

p.s:  The fact that people need to login to their account to see renewal "upgrade" pricing is also not very transparent.  It means you can charge one person one amount, and another something else.  It's car sales haggling, and it sucks.

Thanks for allowing me to express my $600 opinion.
Regards~

Oshyan

#4
Thanks for your feedback derKThga. We are still in the process of refining our move to a Maintenance model and we're doing our best to communicate that change to customers, both old and new. In every purchase and upgrade option in our online store we have made clear that 1 year of Maintenance is included. Perhaps we can do a better job of explaining exactly what that means in the context of Terragen. It's a very widely-used industry standard term, and it means the same for Terragen as it does everywhere else, but we'll look at improving the language we use to be more clear to those less familiar with the concept.

You originally purchased Terragen 3 with Maintenance, about 8 months before the actual release of Terragen 4. Had we been using our previous model of "all 3.x updates included", you actually wouldn't have gotten Terragen 4 at all because major version updates were not included in the old update approach. For $100 more (which was optional) you got a year of Maintenance from the time of your purchase including an upgrade to Terragen 4, which is now a $299 upgrade from TG3 for those without maintenance. We also offered you a refund on the maintenance price, as well as an extension of the maintenance for an additional 6 months. We've really tried our best to make things right in this situation.

I don't really understand your comments about the release being "beta". We had a public beta period which helped us finalize the software, but we released the "gold" (final) version on September 5th and sent the final download and key files to all purchasers of TG4 and TG3 with Maintenance. Terragen 4 is no longer in beta. All major software releases have bugs and we're working to correct those that are coming up, and so far I'm glad to say it has not been any buggier than previous major release of Terragen, despite the addition of some major new features including the real-time preview and a whole new cloud shading model. One of those major new changes was the implementation of a new ray tracing engine that dramatically speeds up the render time of many scenes, as demonstrated on a variety of scenes in our render time comparison here: http://planetside.co.uk/whats-new-in-terragen-4/#tg4-faster-rendering.

Since the introduction of Terragen 2, all major version updates have been based on the previous version, with a similar UI and basic functionality, and significant features added onto that base. That is the model of a majority of the software industry as well (3DS Max, Maya, Zbrush, Mudbox, Photoshop, and many more), and it ensures a smooth upgrade path for users used to the existing system, as well as allowing us to focus our development time on the important new features.

You do not need to login to see what the pricing for upgrades is, only for you to be able to actually access the upgrade. Pricing is always laid out clearly and in full on our Price List page. You can find the current version here: http://planetside.co.uk/terragen-price-list/

I hope that addresses your concerns.

- Oshyan

derKThga

Quote from: Oshyan on October 10, 2016, 04:09:08 PM

You do not need to login to see what the pricing for upgrades is, only for you to be able to actually access the upgrade. Pricing is always laid out clearly and in full on our Price List page. You can find the current version here: http://planetside.co.uk/terragen-price-list/

Thanks for the response, but that price page clearly lays out upgrade and crossgrade pricing, but does not mention what maintenance renewal will cost. I still have never received an answer for that.

So I ask again. My 4.0 maintenace ends in just two months. What will you charge me to upgrade my 4.0 pro license to 4.? .... so I get code enhancements/bug fixes for another year?

Oshyan

Ah, I see, I misread your original question about pricing. My apologies. The Maintenance prices weren't on that page yet because we hadn't finalized them quite yet before the launch of the site, but you're right they should be added.

Maintenance for Pro is going to be $249/yr, and $119/yr for Creative.

- Oshyan

j meyer

Oshyan - Did I get that right, someone who upgraded to TG 4 during the
pre-order phase (or bought it anew) will have to pay again after 12 months
to get further .x updates? Just to be sure I understood correctly.

Oshyan

Yes, that's correct. For anyone who bought TG3 with Maintenance (i.e. a new purchase in the pre-release period), their Maintenance started the day they purchased. They were starting on the Maintenance model from the beginning. For those who pre-purchased the upgrade, their Maintenance started on the release date of TG4 (September 5th) because as TG3 (or TG2) owners they were on the old "all minor version updates" release model, so their conversion to Maintenance would only occur once they actually upgraded to TG4.

So basically if you upgraded to TG4, you'll have updates until September 5th of 2017. After that you just pay the Maintenance fee to keep getting updates. Or you can choose not to continue Maintenance and your license remains valid, you just don't get any new versions. You could decide later to renew your Maintenance for the same price if a particular update catches your interest.

- Oshyan

j meyer

Thanks for your explanation on this.
Should help to make a decision.

SteveR

OK, sorry for being thick - but to be crystal clear...

If I upgrade from TG3Pro to TG4Pro today I will get updates and fixes for 1 year only. But I can use TG4 Pro for as long as I like as it is a perpetual licence after the year has expired.

For future upgrades/fixes I would then need to decide whether to:
1. Wait for TG5 to upgrade again and get another perpetual licence with 1 years of fixes.
2. Purchase an annual maintenance plan which would give me all fixes and upgrades for 1 year. At the end of that year would I still have a perpetual licence?


Thanks
Steve

Oshyan

Yes to all of that Steve. The licenses are perpetual, you can use them forever, and they come with 1 year of updates. You can purchase additional years of updates indefinitely and at any time after expiration, e.g. you can choose not to have maintenance for a year if the updates coming out don't seem worth it to you, and then buy maintenance only when a really good update comes out, if you choose.

- Oshyan

SteveR

Thanks Oshyan for clarifying for me.


Best wishes
Steve