Pretty exciting news. The cost for Moviestorm will be ZERO, it will be freely available for download, and will also be included on the DVD with Machinima For Dummies. Only add-on content packs will cost money, and those are rumored to be very cheap.
Old? No pricing had been announced; I posted this just hours after it had leaked in a newspaper article. The info was, prior to that, protected by NDA. Are you somebody's cousin at Short Fuze or something? ;-)
I'm not sure which of the things they proclaim that you are talking about. It's like any tool in beta, it has bugs, but it's a fully functional movie tool, and is fantastically easy to use compared to any other platform I've tried. I'll post a test movie and some screenies when I've got something worth showing (i.e. not just goofy experiments).
That one was iClone, demo'd by John and James Martin (they were nice guys, did you get to talk to them at all?)
iClone / Moviestorm are similar in concept, each has different strengths. I use both, Moviestorm is definitely easier, but right now iClone is more refined and more powerful (in some areas).
Aw man, between the full-time job and the writing I already have no life at all, but I really want to try this stuff out. Then again 6 hours sleep a night is kind of excessive. :-)
The real genius of the post is that it's not a simple "I'll cut you for saying it's old news", it's that he goes the extra mile to post an RvB quote that makes absolutely no sense in the context of the situation.
Moviestorm: The details Outlined below you will find our thoughts to date, as I said these will probably change based upon your feedback.
Commercial launch Full commercial launch is planned for September; the exact timing of release will depend on technical progress of the development and art assets. (In a separate post there is great detail about the task list, and what we need to get there from here. We would like you to help set our priorities. )
Moviestorm Base (Free) Version Download: free (but about 500Mb). Option for boxed physical disk and manual, this will be ordered via our web site: suggested price $14.99 plus shipping. * You will be able to copy, share or distribute this version, so long as you do not charge for it. However, in order to keep accurate statistics we will require each user to register and activate the product, it takes about 8 seconds and is for free, on our website * It will include the full Moviestorm Basic Application, sufficient to create characters, scenes, dialog, camera work and final video output in AVI format. * It will include the "Moviestorm Basic Asset Pack", suitable for simple domestic environments, at least one pre-built set (domestic interior) plus tutorials. * It will not include the Modders workshop.
Moviestorm PLUS Version We aim to get this out in September as well. We admit that is ambitious, what with the extra features, but, hey, we've had such amazing help from the beta testers that we have to also be confident about this.
The Price: Download: $79.99. (All active members of the private Beta will be entitled to one free copy.)
Option for boxed physical disk and manual, this will be ordered via our web site: suggested price $94.99 plus shipping. Registration and activation will be required. You will not be able to share copy or distribute this version.
* Modders workshop * pro-editing tools and codecs (PC version) (Mac version) * Head management tool - create heads from photos or artwork * HD Video output * Uncompressed Video output * Download 2 (Two) additional Individual Content Packs after product Activation for "free" (user choice from 6 packs or our choice) * Will entitle the user to create a basic membership on the community * Will entitle the user to 30 days trial of "premium membership" on the community and then revert to basic membership.
Individual Content Packs Prices (download) for the content packs will range for $9.99 - $14.99 depending on size and complexity. We expect to offer at least 6 packs at launch, following with at least two per month thereafter depending on demand and sales. Requests for content, sets, costumes, genres, props etc can be posted on the new forum (Content Requests) or can PM me directly.
Website and Community The casual visitor will be able to 1. View promoted video 2. Search public Moviestorm completed video archive 3. Search Directors pages (our user's mini-sites) 4. Access to all public areas of website 5. "Send this link to a friend" button
If you register, you will be able to
1. Have your own Moviestorm user name 2. Download Moviestorm Basic and activate it 3. Searchable access to all areas of Moviestorm Data Base for started and completed movies 4. Access to the forum and basic community tools a. Voting b. Commenting c. Polls d. Chat e. Competitions 5. Access to market place for art assets and services
Premium web site membership This will be paid for. The price is not yet set but we expect it to be in the range $9.99 to $14.99 per month, with maybe discount for annual membership. Premium membership, in addition to the above will allow:
1. Better access to content packs a. One free Content Pack per month (unless you got the Premium membership "for free" as above. b. Advanced notice of content packs c. Ability to vote (recommend / suggest) for priority of content packs 2. Premium Hosted Services a. Have method to create personal Directors Page micro-site b. Hosting of Moviestorm movies on Director's page, possibly in HD format, subject to a maximum storage requirement. More storage for hire. c. Online Back-up Solution d. Online head Creation 3. Online Access to community tools a. Advanced Directors Page Customisation and commerce features b. Advanced tools for market places c. Advanced tools for collaboration d. Online social media creation tools for movie microsites 4. Ability to apply for "premium modder key" a. Ability to distribute own mods b. Ability to ask for base meshes and bones at "root CAL" level to create mods c. Ability to partake in market places for services / mods /art assets, including the ability to take income share from assets created
Modding We know many of you will create your own assets and we can't wait to see them. We will provide DRM and marketplace mechanism for you to share or sell them if you so choose. We need your help to understand exactly how this will work, and, as you might expect, we are keen that it adds to - rather than takes away from - our Content Packs.
These are really exciting times and it seems the opportunities are bounded only by your imaginations and desires. Thanks again for your support and for joining us in this adventure, we really couldn't do this without you.
Look forward to hearing from you all.
Best wishes, Ann
All in all, it looks like a more pricey version of TMO at this point, but without the limitations of TMO being nothing more than a thinly-veiled marketing ploy (so the incentive to buy an account is actually valid).
Thank God we have people who have sense here. Anyways, sounds awesome, Ive been trying to sign up for like 30 minutes, but the captcha image keeps screwing up, Ill try later. This sounds awesome.
