I have just received an email from Smith Micro..
If I Purchase Poser 8 Now I get another of their software items  i.e. Groboto for free..!
What about all of the people who purchased from day one..?

They get the Sr1 update for free =D

They're out of luck as usual. It has always been the same, early adopters pay too much. I was an early adopter for Poser 6 (even pre-ordered it), only to find out that people who bought it a couple months later paid a lot less then I did. From then on I decided to wait.

If things are going bad or not I don't know. I think that SM is now really realizing how small the Poser user base really is and how few (compared to their other software applications) buy P8. I don't think the numerous 'p8 crashed such and so' help to get sales either.

My question was regarding Poser 8.
And yes I have Pre ordered Poser in the past.  And yes there have been extras for POSER like the Winter Queen (a truly amazing character)..
This time they are offering After,  and it is separate software that runs independent from Poser..

No I'm not forgetting that...... she just wasn't worth it imo. I preferred to have paid less, something like half price as others did pay, that sounds much better to me then some extra content I will never use. But back then, I just didn't know any better. By now I know that 90% of the content that comes with Poser will never be touched by me, so I prefer paying less for Poser, instead of having content. With P8 I waited and I did get a really good deal.

Honestly, what happened before, doesn't matter. Poser is owned by a new company now and they use a different way of selling. Wait a couple of weeks and who knows what they will offer you then? We've seen full version at upgrade price, extra software to choose, $1.99 deals, so who knows what else will come? If you wait long enough you can buy  P8 including the developing rights.

Quote - My question was regarding Poser 8.
And yes I have Pre ordered Poser in the past.  And yes there have been extras for POSER like the Winter Queen (a truly amazing character)..
This time they are offering After,  and it is separate software that runs independent from Poser..

And I was responding to Aeilkema not you. No offense, Noel, but software retailers have been doing promotional deals for as long as we've both been buying Poser. Bitching about them is just gettin' to be really tiresome.

I just bought Vue 7.5 Pro Studio last month and now I'm getting an email about Vue 8 and the free upgrades for people who bought Vue 7.5 THIS month. Seems by buying it on sale last month I missed the free upgrade. Should I bitch too? There will still be an upgrade price.

I think the old saying "No use crying over spilt milk" applies here.

These are tactics that have been used since the beginning of commercial software. SM isn't the first and certainly won't be the last ;o).

I'm with aeilkema on this one, but for a different reason: I tend not to be an early adopter because I want the bugs to be worked out before I buy the software, even if I means that everyone else gets to play first. I made that mistake with Vue 4 and won't make it again ;o).

As for the marketing tactics that SM uses, if they capitulated to every gripe that everyone had about when they bought, what they paid, who got what when, then they'd  have to give away half the store. Consider this: your reward is that you got to play with it as soon as it came out (and with the problems with the release, that was NOT meant as an invitation to begin bashing the product). Buying anything is a gamble if you consider when and where you buy. You buy a fridge and sure enough, the next month another store in your area is gonna have it for half of what you paid for it (and it might even be the very same store). That mean you'll go back to the store you bought the fridge from and demand they give you half your money back? I assure you, they'd laugh you right out of the store ;o).

Laurie

Yep I got to play..  Crash,,   bug,  CRASH,  another bug etc.  etc. etc..

and also btw..  Who started this thread..?

I would like more than three body shaping morphs for the default characters.
Endomorph, mesomorph, and exomorph are merely shaping changes, not really what I consider an acceptable morph unless coupled with numerous other morphs.

Those who ride the bleeding edge of technology are often sacrificed on it.

Those who ride the bleeding edge of anything should wear protective gear.
And have one hell of an insurance provider.

Quote -
and also btw..  Who started this thread..?

That's what I call amnesia...

Or was it a loaded question? You started it so we're not supposed to say anything nice about Poser or say it's idiotic to whine about this?

I bought a computer, the month after it was on sale for a substantially lower price. Tough luck. Thing is, if I hadn't bought it then, I wouldn't have had a computer in that month. Nobody forced me to buy it, as I'm sure nobody was forced to buy Poser 8 the day it came out.

I did. I'm such a lemming. I like new and shiny things.

And you know what? I've had FUN this last month or so, playing with my Poser 8. Yes it has crashed. Yes it has bugs. But ... oooh shiny...

I'm happy with my new toy! It doesn't get less fun because others can have it for less. And Aeilkema even got Poser 8 for 1.99.. now isn't THAT unfair?!

The Poser 8 figures have many morphs - not just 3

Early adaptors always pay more - that is the way our economy works. Not only with Smith Micro but also with Intel and even with every CD and/or DVD you buy
And what do you gain?
You get to play earlier with it as other people who prefer to wait and pay less.
 

I got it for FREE! I planned on getting the next version of poser pro. My only issue is now I'm torn between ease of gamma correction and IDL. 

Quote - Yep I got to play..  Crash,,   bug,  CRASH,  another bug etc.  etc. etc..

and also btw..  Who started this thread..?

You started the thread NoelCan. The only reason I said that my comment wasn't an invitation to start bashing the product wasn't because I intended to do anything about anyone who did (I guess you either love Poser or ya hate it); I said it because I knew some of you would start bashing the product and that wasn't my intention...sigh.

Thanks for not disappointing me.

Laurie

I Happen to  be one of those who love Poser.

I have been using Poser since version 2.  What I stated was the fact that poser 8 has had a series of defects since day 1,  if you cruise through the threads it is more than obvious there are issues  with Poser 8.

I have stated in these threads twice before that " Smith Micro have done themselves a disservice by releasing Poser 8 without adequate beta testing." 

NOW!!   What do we see?  an additional $80.00 program as an incentive to boost sales.

Sure others say that Poser 5 was worse than 8 Because it needed a total of five SR's.  And sure that was Curious Labs.  This is all history.

I love Poser as a program. But I cannot join forces with others, circle the wagons to defend  poser at all costs.

I've been an early adopter every version since Poser5 & every time just after that they dropped the price or added in something else to sweeten the deal for new customers.

I've also been using Poser since Version 1 & EVERY version has had defects, every one of them has issues that required fixes, some of them have never been fixed & carry over to the next version even up to Poser8. That hasn't put me off buying the next version & it wont as long as I have a PC that can handle the next version.

ps, a lot of the people working on Poser8 worked on Poser5+, only the company name really changed.

I skipped Poser 5 and went from 4 to 6 as an early adopter. That didn't stop me from picking up two more copies of Poser 5 back when CP gave it away fro free though! And for the record, Poser 5 only had 4 SR's. I said Poser 8 would have to have 5SR's to be "The Worst Release Ever" that you keep harping on.

Quote - And for the record, Poser 5 only had 4 SR's. I said Poser 8 would have to have 5SR's to be "The Worst Release Ever" that you keep harping on.

Like I said ..  That's history..   Should developers NOT learn from previous mistakes.?

I purchased P8 as soon as it came out and have had sooo much fun with it. Had a few problems, but all fixed now.

I know some few have had problems with it. I'm sure everyone involved with 3D knows Noelcan has had many many many dubious problems by now, not that I believe a word he says. Been busted there Noelcan.
 
And I plan on purchasing P8 pro as soon as it comes out, and doubt I will have many problems with it.

Waaah !!!   I want Groboto but.... heck, I already upgraded to Poser 8.....  bah !

Missed out again !

Nice to see that there are reputable people out there with out their own personal agenda to give reveiws on P8  Here's a few.

Poser By Design - Those other 3D Programs
 
Poser 8 Review | Graphics and 3-D | Macworld

Animation Software Review: SmithMicro's Poser 8 3D Modeling & Animation Software

Quote - I have stated in these threads twice before that " Smith Micro have done themselves a disservice by releasing Poser 8 without adequate beta testing." 

NOW!!   What do we see?  an additional $80.00 program as an incentive to boost sales.

Sure others say that Poser 5 was worse than 8 Because it needed a total of five SR's.  And sure that was Curious Labs.  This is all history.

I agree with you. As much as I love Poser, this release wasn't (and still isn't) ready for prime time. I'm not sure if P5 was a worse release at all. I know it was bad, but at least the team knew how to fix the bugs. If you see the number of different issues reported with P8 and then look at how a relatively small number of them was actually fixed in SR1, I'm not sure which release was worse. Add to that the fact that SR1 has caused a number of new bugs, that seem to be unrelated to the things they've fixed. Who knows how much SR's SM will need to get P8 stable? Although the number of SR's aren't showing if something is worse or better. It will be shown in the end result.

In the end P5 was stable, will P8 be stable in the end or will SM follow the policy that a lot of bugger companies do follow...... if you can't fix it, ignore it. We've already had reports of SM 'loosing' bug reports, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the policy SM will adopt. After all all these hours of support do cost money. Money that SM could save if they would expand (or train) the Poser beta team.

Come to think of it..... instead of me paying for Poser 8, Smith Micro should pay me by now for the numerous hours spent in contact with them, testing this release. If they paid me for every word I typed in bug reports, I would be rich by now.

Quote - I purchased P8 as soon as it came out and have had sooo much fun with it. Had a few problems, but all fixed now.

I know some few have had problems with it.

Count yourself lucky! P8 is running pretty well for me now to, but only because of work arounds, some suggested by SM support, some figured out by me and suggested to SM, which I noticed SM is now telling people until things are fixed. But P8 is having a few nasty bugs, even SM has confirmed that and it's not only a few experiencing them. If you don't have them it doesn't mean they aren't there, you may not encounter them. Not all of us use Poser in the same way and use the same features. If reported a good number of bugs and all except one was confirmed by tech support. The one uncormirmed one was acknowledged, but they couldn't reproduce it, so they're looking for more input..... which seems to be a problem. Many people experience bugs, but not everyone is reporting.

OK...  I get it,,,   demean the person,  ignore the topic..  Hope that they will get P***ed off and turn tail and run away.

Not gunna happen..    The issues ARE still there..

Take the time to review other opinions in these threads and try to demean them as well..

Perhaps I am the most persistent in My opinions,  that is because the issues ARE still there..

Noel is right there ARE issues in Poser that need to be fixed, we've waited many years in some cases & gone through several versions without a fix.

Quote - Some more reveiws from some REPUTABLE sources:

Smith Micro Software Poser 8 review from TechRadar UK's expert reviews of 3D modelling software

GameDev.net - Product Review - Poser 8

REVIEW: Poser 8 - Digital Arts

One of the reviews is actually the same as the one you had previously. The GameDev.net reviewer is biased, he depends on good poser sales to sell his own P8 book. The Digital Arts review and is interesting and imo could be called reputable and note their very interesting conclusion:

Quote -

• pros Lots of new content; new morphing tools; new interface/CMS; rendering and texture enhancements; Wardrobe Wizard.
• cons More expensive than competition; some new features are complex without tutorials; some application crashes.

So, even your reputable source confirms what's been stated all alone...... application crashes and they're a con.

Then there's the pricing issue..... Poser is too expensive. Found the mac issue review end remark quite striking (though Digital Art mentioned it also as a con):

Quote -
There's a sting in the tale for existing Poser owners, though. An upgrade to Poser 8, even for owners of the most recent release, costs $130 (£80) – more than half the cost of buying the package new.

So, reputable sources state that the improvements are good, but it crashes and is too expensive.

Here's the list again so people can read them themselves: 

Poser By Design - Those other 3D Programs
 
Poser 8 Review | Graphics and 3-D | Macworld

Animation Software Review: SmithMicro's Poser 8 3D Modeling & Animation Software

Smith Micro Software Poser 8 review from TechRadar UK's expert reviews of 3D modelling software

GameDev.net - Product Review - Poser 8

REVIEW: Poser 8 - Digital Arts

I have many more.

Quote - ... If you wait long enough you can buy  P8 including the developing rights.

I'm sure one could now, for the right price.  Certainly above my budget, tho'... :laugh:

magazine reviews are not that reliable. simple economics, piss off the product vendor/creator/developer with poor reviews, lose their advertising = economic suicide.
at the least, the company will never let them have a product to review again = less interesting editorial = less readers= less circulation > magazine dies.

only reviews worth reading are those by actual everday users, on public forums.

Look Noel, I'm not saying that there aren't issues. What I am saying is I'm tired of you posting the same issues over and over and OVER again. We get it. Ok? We don't need a new bitch thread every week.

And Stepson, spamming a thread with basically the same post over and over again is against the TOS last time I checked. We get it, you have some reviews you want us to read. One post was quite enough thank you.

I wouldn't trust a magazine review as far as I could throw the reviewer, I've bought things in the past after reading how wonderful they are in a magazine only to find out later they're rubbish & the magazine were paid to print a good review.

Hey, stepson, you're looking like the one with the agenda here. If some people are having problems with Poser 8, a hundred people having no problems doesn't negate the opinions of those who are. Even Bagginbill has stated that the program has glitches. Is he wrong? Someone saying that they are ped off about poser 8 isn't a personal attack on you so give it a rest why don't you.***
**
You can disagree with the OP without accusing the guy of having an agenda. Does he work for Daz? Do you know? Maybe he is just trying to destroy Smith Micro for his own sinister reasons. Or, maybe he's just upset that he spent his money on something that isn't working for him very well and he just wants to vent here where he has friends. Even I can't understand why he could have so many singular issues with Poser 8 but... agenda? Are you kidding? This isn't health care reform on Capital Hill, Town Hall squabbles, Fox News or MSNBC. It's just Poser, nothing more. So, lighten up.******

** **

And before anyone gets upset, The topics I used were for the sake of demonstration alone and were not meant to suggest anything other than real-world issues. Nor were they meant to propose a particular political belief as concerning the above mentioned real-world issues. Consult your physician before handling this post. This post does not protect against HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases. result of this post are not typical and may vary.

 oh, you jus can't help but step over the line, can you? OK. Lets get JenX involved now. LostinSpaceman tried to warn you but you just couldn't listen, could you.

Hate to break it to you, but the reviews at Amazon are not much more reliable than magazine reviews. One might argue they're even worse, because you don't know who really wrote them and why. Any reviews in any venue that is directly involved in making money on the product being reviewed is suspect.

Also, quoting one review from any source doesn't prove anything that isn't already obvious. Take any cruddy application and you'll certainly find at least one person who is satisfied with it.

(I'm not bashing Poser 8 but rather the comments made by stepson)

sits in the rafters watching munching popcorn by the handful....
aah Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

stepson, I just reported you. You're trolling now. You cannot call anyone emotionally unstable here or anywhere without evidential proof. By saying this you have not only violated the TOS here but you have violated the law. The original poster now has the ability to sue you for Defamation of Character. Really man, is it really worth it? You're playing stupid kid games that will get you in serious, adult trouble.

You need to stop before you get banned. I know people moan on and on about this topic but you are only making this worse for you. If you get thrown off R'osity, the people you don't like will still be here, moaning on and on. There is nothing you can say or do that is going to change this so don't go off and damage yourself.

Quote - sits in the rafters watching munching popcorn by the handful....
aah Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

hey kaibach where'd you pinch that quote from? it's a good one. :D

Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

***A Midsummer Nights Dream Act 3, scene 2, 114–115

Thanks mate, I'll have to read that again some time, it's been a long time since I last read any shakespeare. :D

wonders when this thread will be locked

Hi mom! 

And there are a couple of things that are odd here.

Aielkema.. didn't you get Poser 8 for $1.99? you must have a very low wage if SM should pay you for bashing their program then.
Stepson.. I think we got your point :)
NoelCan.. You're beginning to sound like a record stuck in the same groove. You have problems with Poser 8. We got that. Sucks to be you.   

Poser 8 has got bugs. No one is denying that. It's still heaps better than Poser 5 EVER was, even after all the SRs... As it should be, it's three versions newer. But don't say it wasn't tested because THAT is lying and a defamation of all the hardworking people who DID test it!

Doran.. Ooooh Ever heard the Weird Al song "Sue You"? You should. It's fun. If you know that concept.

Now you're attacking people who haven't even bothered you yet.

as a side note, things aren't going bad at smith micro AFAIK, but the town they're in is having problems.  according to a local newspaper, it never recovered from the Loma Prieta earthquake in the way that neighbouring santa cruz has done.

however, nobody has ever brought a legal action as the result of a product or forum message here IIRC.  it's always settled by the admins before that happens.  I ain't a lawyer.

No, it's not about a product but the references of someone being unbalanced or emotionally unstable. Those words are defamatory whether the person is being named or referred to within the context of direct rebuttal.

I agree, i wish they'd be nicer in their discourse, but sometimes forum users have a bad day and type messages that they wish they'd never done. I know I've done it a few times.

Oh, Miss Nancy, you're probably one of the most pleasant people on this site and you are always helpful :)

Well, that's it for me. Now that this has been resolved by the Admin, I see no reason for me to remain. Have a good evening everyone :)  I'm off to get some sea food! YUM!

 Ok, let's get back on topic, shall we?

Also, for the record, if you cannot get ahold of one mod (myself included), please contact another mod listed above (bantha and wheatpenny).  I have been offline most of today, and will be busy finishing out the Halloween contest, and may not respond as fast as my co-mods will be able to.  I apologize for those who have contacted me with no response yet, I thought I'd post in this thread to let you all know, rather than make you all wait.

Jeni

Poser, in all of its versions is STILL My  #1 program.  I am just disappointed that It is so buggy.
I have sent Smith Micro every item they have requested, with one exception  i.e. scene files containing commercial files..

It is My most sincere wish that Smith Micro can fix these issues and continue to develop Poser as a truly amazing software package..

With regard to the personal jibes:-      "If only GOD the gift could gi us.   To see oursels as others see us.."

Quote - I have just received an email from Smith Micro..
If I Purchase Poser 8 Now I get another of their software items  i.e. Groboto for free..!
What about all of the people who purchased from day one..?

When SM allowed DAZ to do their Poser 8 promo ($50 off the intro $199 price) I entered a service request to SM marketing, and got a $50 CP coupon.

I did the same thing when they dropped the price on Anime Studio Debuit, and got a $20 coupon.

They do do "price match" depending on the relative dates.