Attached Link: http://www.daz3d.com

This entire series is priced at a special value until December 29th, 2003. Will your heroes complete their quest in time? Only you can decide their fate!

See the entire High Fantasy Project in the DAZ|New Releases >>>

Awesome stuff! Unfortunately... too expensive for me at the moment with Christmas around the corner...

OUCH! I just double checked and realized the clothing comes with NO textures! It's nice... but not THAT nice. I guess I'll be passing on this. $20 for the clothing and then another $20 for textures is too much. Unless you run some type of buy the clothing, get the textures for half price. The clothing is nice... but if you see what Baron_Vlad_Harkonnen is putting out for $5... WITH TEXTURES... you just have to wonder...

Totally agree, was getting ready to put it in my wish list when I realized there were NO textures at all :( So, it never made it.

Personally I'll be buying pretty much all of this high fantasy stuff, both clothing and texture sets, all the props and scenes... granted it may not be all right away, but I know these sets will be of a quality that is well worth the price being asked. The clothing figures themselves are actually a bargain at the price they're selling them, even without textures, and the textures themselves look well worth the price tag. I can speak from personal experience in building clothing figures, and in texturing clothing figures... it's not easy, and these folks have done an incredible job and deserve to be paid for that. Granted this is all just my own personal opinion and you're all welcome to disagree, but I don't think it's fair to ask every poser merchant to lower their own price standards to compete with folks who are selling at insanely low prices. If the quality level is there then the product deserves a higher price, if the merchant that creates it chooses to sell it for less than what they could potentially earn that's the decision of that merchant, and those who sell their goods fair prices for the quality level should not be penalized for that decision.

Cin, I agree that quality products deserve a higher price... but unfortunately, that also puts it out of the range of many who would otherwise buy it. I personally think $20 is too high for untextured clothing. I think $15 would be more in line. If the textures were $15 as well, then the whole package would be about $30... which is about what you DO pay for a good textured model. Just look at Serrge's awesome armor sets... $30 gets you the armor, textures, props, etc.

They didnt consider that maybe some of us just wanted M3 stuff only not both...And steph is due out...She requires morphs, textures, etc.

The intro price is 14.96... shrug I just don't think that 20.00 is asking too much for these items.

The intro price for an untextured model is 14.96. Add the 14.96 to pay for textures, some as kj pointed out that people may not even want...and you have $30 and that is just for one set. It's not $20. I think that the biggest thing is the fact that there are no textures AT ALL. Had they come with a base texture then I think it would have been better received. I also think if they had packaged the V3 and M3 separately it would have been better marketing.

I kind of look at it this way. Someone who wishes to purchase my art will never pay the price that I feel it is worth, so a compromise has to be reached somehow in order to sell the piece. I have to sell it at a price that I can live with and hope that it is a price they will buy at.

But it will never be a price that will pay me back for the time spent and the creativity used. The only time that will happen is if I can sell many more pieces. So, I sacrifice the higher price in order to sell more. It actually works out better that way. More people have my art in their homes which makes me a happy camper and I sell enough at some point that I actually do make my money back :)

This has nothing to do with what I feel I "deserve" or the quality of the work.... and I certainly will never make a potential customer feel that they are trying to "cheat" me out of what I deserve by trying to reach a price that they are comfortable with. It's just their state of mind or their economic situation. Everyone is a bargain hunter. :)

And while these packages are nice, the props package has three swords, with no scabbards or belts for the characters to wear them, so if I want to use the swords I either have it on the ground, stick it into something or carry it, which could be pretty ackward if I'm on a horse or just trekking through the forest. So for me the props package is NOT complete and at $18 bucks on sale it should be.

So, while the packages are nice....and the textures are pretty, it's not making my credit card act against my will at this point in time :)

I am really hoping that this offering models without textures and then the textures for the same price separately is NOT going to be the start of a trend. If it is, though, guess I'll be saving much more money, which will make my hubby very happy :)

Ouch, fantastic work, stunning even, but releasing this close to the holiday is to painful for me as well, I'm likewise forced to pass. I understand that it is in conjunction with a last tale of a certain film series, and that it's best to strike while the iron is hot .... but that can't be the only factor. Sorry I misses them, and I do agree about the scabbords =(

Well like Cin eventually I will get it all but alas, not right now. This stuff has been in and out of my cart so many times already I am getting dizzy :) Any way. It is very beautiful and very high quality but some of it will just have to wait :(

I would love to own them all too. I agree that with everything coming out at once, it does not seem attainable. I will end up buying one or two pieces, and then when the sale goes off, I will probably be buying the next new thing when it is on sale. I know it is a no-win situation for DAZ, because people gripe when items don't come out fast enough. But not all of us are rich. If items were on sale 60 to 90 days it would help a lot in buying a whole collection. Tim

return of fantasy?? did it ever leave... lol

Sadly, this reminds me of the Millenium Cat. As gorgeous as those textures were, I never could afford them. Thank God Lyne from Vista Internet Products generously gave the community a beautiful cat texture later for free. I think that DAZ should always include at least a base texture set with models. That way, the model is useable from the start. Buying a model that can't be used until you find extra money for the textures or make textures yourself really only works with stuff like PhilC's excellent line of "almost free" products. When you're paying $1.99, the lack of textures is not a problem!! When you're paying $15 or $20 or more, it is. After almost four years of using Poser, I admit I am getting a lot more choosey about what I buy. Being beautiful is no longer enough. Usefulness and value are now important considerations for me too. Kimberly

Simderella - I believe they are playing off the title of the new Lord of the Rings movie... Return of the King. Clever, actually. Sparrowheart - I agree. Usefullness definately outweighs beauty. I've bought many beautiful items, only to have them sit in my download folder... unused because I didn't have time to texture them, or they were so niche that I just never used them.... many of the new custom anime figures fall into this category. I've invested hundreds of dollars in clothes/textures for the Mil. figures... and custom figures who can't use that investment don't interest me... no matter how adorable they are.

yep, the custom figures are fixing to leave my hard drive. Right now I have no interest in them as I am into other things. I spent a lot too thinking I "needed" them. sigh. oh well, live and learn :)

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Well, just got what I absolutley couldn't live without. Rest are in my wish list........ of course unless I can convience hubby it's my Christmas present :) Gotta get that tree..............

It is interesting but to expenesive for me, and I normally get everything. Perhaps if the textures were in the platinum club...

Just what the poser community needs.. more "fantasy" stuff. Blah...

DV this is 'high' fantasy though! Vicki actually has clothes on and Michael isn't simply muscles all around! These things are more 'realistic' fantasy, if you will. Great quality.

Sigh... I went and bought the prop package because they looked oh so good. Just a few observations: 1) None of the props are parented, they all appear on the ground 2) None of the P4 BUMs exist, so you have to convert them. 3) No scabbards for the swords, just the knife 4) No quiver of arrows, you must fill the quiver yourself. 5) NO DRAW MORPH FOR THE BOW?!!! Back to the topic of usefulness... I bought the package mostly for the bow... and it's pretty much useless without a morph for the draw position. I wish I would just listen to my instincts.

ookami wrote:
Awesome stuff!  Unfortunately... too expensive for me at the moment with Christmas around the corner...

Yup, especially with SP comming out soon.

keweljewels wrote:
They didnt consider that maybe some of us just wanted M3 stuff only not both...And steph is due out...She requires morphs, textures, etc.

pendarian wrote:
I also think if they had packaged the V3 and M3 separately it would have been better marketing.

That is a very good point.  Not everyone owns both V3 and M3.  I like the looks of both of the V3 characters, but to get them, I also have to pay for 2 M3 characters that I may not use.  Definitely poor marketing. IMHO.

sparrowheart wrote:
Being beautiful is no longer enough.  Usefulness and value are now important considerations for me too.

ookami wrote:
Sparrowheart - I agree.  Usefullness definately outweighs beauty.  I've bought many beautiful items, only to have them sit in my download folder... unused because I didn't have time to texture them, or they were so niche that I just never used them.... many of the new custom anime figures fall into this category.  I've invested hundreds of dollars in clothes/textures for the Mil. figures... and custom figures who can't use that investment don't interest me... no matter how adorable they are.

Exactly.  The first thing I think when I look at a new product is "How can I use that?"

DigitalVixxen wrote:
Just what the poser community needs.. more "fantasy" stuff. Blah...

Yea.  Even though the stuff looks great, I pretty much thought that as well.  I'm pretty much into buying "real world" stuff.  The only item I bought when Michael 3 was released (other than textures and morphs) was Dark Whisper's Wild West - M3 Cowboy.  The shirt and jeans can also be used for every day clothing.

Attached Link: http://www.3duniverse.co.za

Thank you Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

"...the props package has three swords, with no scabbards or belts for the characters to wear them, so if I want to use the swords I either have it on the ground, stick it into something or carry it, which could be pretty ackward if I'm on a horse or just trekking through the forest... " I agree pendarion. Give us Scabbards, Give us Belts, give us Capes!... Hopefully not at another $20.00. :O(

No scabbards...can't understand why. :O(

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"welcome to the Poser community... would you like to see our whine list?" sheesh Steve

It is beautiful work Dark Whisper. I know a lot of time went into this set.

Good point Steve. I know we are all whining... but let's not lose track of the fact that you put alot of hard work into this set and it's definately an incredible set and we appreciate you putting so much effort into it. Don't think of it as whining... think of it as vocal suggestions.... (grin)

I'm not whining Steve, I'm asking and wondering. When you didn't include the pose that draws the sword back, did I say a word? When you offered it at your site as a free download did I come into the thread and say "that's nice but it should have been offered in the pack to begin with?" No, I didn't. If you want whining, I can give you whining. I can give you critiques and even more probing questions on the new products. But I won't. The products are beautiful, you all did a very nice job. But, I reserve the right to ask, comment and even question before I plunk down my hard earned money, without fear of being called a whiner from one of it's creators. You're at DAZ now, you are going to need a thicker skin. Pendarian

Excuse me, that should have been "bow" and not sword in my second sentance.

I agree with Pendarian. If a vendor puts items up for sale, they should be prepared to deal with the critique and criticism they will receive. I find it quite funny how much bad "customer relations and service" an independent vendor offers someone once they've given a bad comment about their work or sale prices. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was at a renaissance fair!

Steve- Films are made, criticism good or bad is expected, it's built in. 3D products especially ones blatantly inspired by feature films should expect criticism.....don't worry, this product will more than withstand anything negative that may be said against it. This project is one of the most inspired I've ever seen. What you may be taking as criticism, I would take as room for improvement ....one or two things that would the most amazing of 3D achievements, the most perfect of 3D achievements =) The cost is not at all unreasonable in the least, for the volume of textures and conformers in each package. It seems that most of the criticism about the price is simply that no one wants SOME of this set, they want it all, and releasing it on one fell swoop, those persons on budgets won't be able to pick at it, a release or two at a time, especially this close to a holiday. I shot myself in the foot earlier this month at Daz buying up all the products that I had been pineing for at the Daz brokered artist sale ....to many sales, to close together. I never thought I'd be complaining about a sale 8^o I'm not sure, but I believe that's pretty much the gist of what most of this is about, and in my case I'm certain of it. As the saying goes, that's just my opinion.....I could be wrong ^_^ As far as I can see your biggest problem is going to be topping this achievement ;^) ....best wishes to you, yours and all my fellow whiners this holiday season- Sydneykeys

That was brilliantly expressed, Sydneykeys. I do feel sorry for the makers of this gorgeous LOTR-inspired merchandise. Having their products released on the heels of TWO mammoth sales (first of DAZ originals and then of DAZ brokered artists' items) AND during the holidays (when most of us have to buy gifts for others), has got to be cutting into their earnings. I feel they are getting shortchanged by the timing (and I do realize that the timing has everything to do with the opening of The Return of the King). Absolutely no one is questioning the quality of the items. I just feel that someone in the DAZ marketing department needs a reality check. :-) Kimberly

I guess they are hopping in on the release of "Return of the King"..and there is NOTHING wrong with that. Just clever marketing - but bad timing as far as those of us on a restricted budget goes, considering many of us will have stretched things on the previous 2 DAZ sales. There's no doubt that this pack is aimed squarely at the fans of Lord of the Rings- if you look closely, many of the chars and props look VERY similar - almost to the verge of infringing copyright (but I won't open THAT can of worms). It is a beautiful set of works - too bad it's out of my budget for the moment - sighs