This started as a question but ultimatelly can be used as feedback as well, cause I had many similar instances of similar events happening with other companies and the thoughts kept coming about what I percieve as ultimatelly unfair methods of doing things cause one can. I want you to read it at least, I don’t know if it can be replied and I will probably not check either. So you can put it to resolved after reading. But I want it communicated to the top brass and I expect to see some effect on the issues discussed that are relevant to EPIC.
Hello. I recently found out that there is an app/store, called FAB that Unreal, Sketchfab, Quixel, Twinmotion, ArtStation and whatever else there is under Epic Games possibly excluding the Gaming section itself is migrating there soonish.
Supposedly the Unreal Marketplace is going to shut down or something when FAB launches.
Can we keep it for an amount of time(e.g. 2 years) just without the cart and its paying options?
The Vault obviously dissapeared, I don’t like to make a project just to see something I acquired(free or paid) and it was handy.
I also have a list of nearly 200 items that I’m keeping tabs on(some are tabbed for the creators too cause I may want more than one from that content creator but the list stops adding them after 200). I’m trying to get them on a good sale, obviously not all together for a mod of an older Unreal Engine game I wanna make. I obviously can’t pay a fortune for something that will be free(The Mod). I have already invested considerable amounts of cash on things Unreal or not that I haven’t even tried yet.
If the Marketplace vanishes, I lose track of many things I was hopping to acquire and also the content creators which I’ll have to rediscover. That is also a problem with SketchFab and Art Station which I also had accounts there, prior to Epic acquiring them. With collections and such. Adding them all in one application without retaining something from my account(s) in those apps will create a little chaos and I might lose track of a lot of stuff I wanted.
Let me define something. I am a collector of various things on my life, but for others there is a need for practical aplication. 3d Modelling and assets of that type is included on stuff I get for practical application. It’s not a hobby of mine to get things just to get them. There is a goal in the end process when that comes. Changes like these could considerably disrupt the entire process for me and maybe others too.
And I see there are alot of threads for developers, but would you stop on your tracks for a moment and think about as users and potential customers as well? Cause if not us, how do you think a store gets its income? What happens to you and the devs if we don’t buy anything? I can’t buy everything I want due to resources limitations.
But also consider this: IF my plan is disrupted and falls apart, something I’ve been carefully preparing for in various ways for years, is there any chance you’d think I’ll get frustrated AND dissapointed and abandon my cause to make anything? The few assets that I can buy at any given time I wouldn’t perhaps buy at all? I would lose something dear to me for sure. Can you say with certainty that wouldn’t be a blow to your Enterprises as well?
I mean am I the only one out there with such plans and limited resources? You wanna throw away potential customers or something? I searched for FAB the last few days. It seems it hasn’t oppened yet for us non traders. Shouldn’t it be if the Marketplace and other options existing until recently will go “poof” after it opens? So we can make account there and see what we can replace our current lists and stuff with? With a Linked banner on first page or something?
I mean I liked Metahumans, I tried it online once with good results and thought “hey I’ll do that more steadily when I have more time in the future”. Now I find out I don’t have almost any time since it will be on paid subscription too, along with everything. I mean, cool, it’s your right to change the EULA for your products, as long as it doesn’t change the status or pre-acquired products, but keep in mind this: I(and maybe others) am an occasional customer. I might not buy anything for some time and then get something or alot, depends. But if I don’t have access to something cause it’s hidden behind a paid wall, like suscriptions are, I will not choose that path at all.
I have an account on Adobe free plan, but I use it like maybe a couple a times a year. I also don’t like the method and the term “Trial”, sounds like you’re put under a miscroscope for the duration when you get such a product. IMO should be replaced with something like “demonstration/al” and be on time and days used relevant(like at least 21h for Adobe 7-days ones or 90h for 30day ones). Often I used it, opened once to see if it worked, forgotten it and then remembered when it expired and as such I hardly ever used to see if I’d be interested in acquiring.
We don’t live and breathe for every single product someone made and things its their world and maybe is for sustinence and profit reasons. But you know there are millions of products. Also for the higher ups consider this: imagine they start asking you for a monthly subscription to be able to eat a burger or chicken related or any food, vegan included. But you don’t get this particular type of thing daily or even monthly(maybe it’s a guilty treat or for medical reasons or cause there are endless things you could get and you like variety). How would you feel about it? Fair?
And for another example, all of a sudden cars dissapear and you have to take air or underground or water based transportation, only. Cause it made financial sense to a group of corporate thinkers. You get a year’s worth of preparation(I searched and this was when it was first announced) and then all suddenly gone, including for business reasons. You can only use variants allowed. Practically no transitional period excluding companies who are carefully guided as much is logistically possible regarding personnel active. Think it is enough? Think everyone will know in advance etc.? Or willing? See what happened in the world when far more crucial decisions - with a large amount of transitional period - where taken. See world Greenhouse effect → Climate crisis level.
People are never totaly ready for radical changes. However one CAN make the process easier by NOT imposing measures that make it feel too urgent and rapid, like for the afforementioned example, Wharehouses and driveways dissapearing while people are still driving to or on them. “Hey don’t get alarmed, where we are headed we need no roads!”, “We’ll replace what’s gone with what we feel is a better option!” “But btw, if you get a seizure cause of the rapid and weird vaporization of staff or maybe fall a few dozen feet/meters from the gaps on bridges and all and your car explodes, maybe with you in it, there are no fines to be payed”. “Everything is currently fine in the state of Denmark” and all. The last quoted statement is false btw, I hope it’s obvious and clear, like the transition to FAB.