Upgrade costs

[RobCRogers]

If this has been addressed, I haven't managed to locate it. What is the "upgrade charge" expected to be charged for this.

I hate to be negative, as I enjoy the program, but I'm bristling at the idea of paying for an upgrade at this juncture. The 1.x version of the program, though useful, was so slow as to make me throw up my hands more than once and give up on doing basic things I wanted to do (like shift the order of a character's powers around). The longer I kept it open, the slower it got, to the point where I had to close it down every time I got up for more than a couple of minutes (and it was never fast-loading, either). The speed problems have finally been solved, for the most part, in the 2.x versions (it's still a slow load and I haven't tried leaving it up for long periods yet), but that's a *fix*, not an upgrade. The prpgram is finally reaching now the level of usability that a program in its price range should have offered, and asking for an upgrade fee seems an insult to those of us who have weathered the problems up to this point.

As another point, thank goodness I hae a cable modem. The large and frequent upgrade files would be a huge imposition if I were on dial-up.

[Simon]

No upgrade cost has been set yet. That will be determined by Hero Games shortly before the release of v2.

v1 is nowhere near as full-featured of an app as v2. No question. However, v1 is still one of the better chargens out on the market and implements the entirety of the rules in the Hero System, 5th Edition. That is what it was advertised as doing and that is what it does. The system requirements for v1 are high, but they are also listed on every CD sold and on the store page where it can be downloaded.

If you're upset about shelling out more money for v2, then don't. Stay with v1. Any bugs in v1 will still be fixed. It will not have any new features implemented, nor will "new" rules be implemented under it -- all new items and feature enhancements go into the current version, which has been v2 for some time now.

v1 will continue to be supported with bug fixes and question and answers on the forum board. I'm not abandoning anyone. The money that you spent on v1 is still just as good as it was when you first purchased it. The only reason to purchase the upgrade to v2 is if you want to get access to the new features (which are substantial) in the app.

I'm providing a public test for v2 in order to allow v1 users the opportunity to see if they want to pay for the upgrade or not. I started this test period over three months before I plan on the final release of v2 in order to give v1 users a "bonus" -- a chance to use the app (fully functional) for months before they have to make a decision whether to buy it or not.

I make no apologies for this, nor do I feel that any are needed.

As for the frequent updates, that's all part of being part of a testing team. If you don't want to go through them, just shift back to v1.47 until the final release of v2 is ready.

In all likelihood, the rapid updates will slow down as we draw nearer to a final build.

[RobCRogers]

Originally posted by dsimon
v1 is nowhere near as full-featured of an app as v2. No question. However, v1 is still one of the better chargens out on the market and implements the entirety of the rules in the Hero System, 5th Edition. That is what it was advertised as doing and that is what it does. The system requirements for v1 are high, but they are also listed on every CD sold and on the store page where it can be downloaded.

If you're upset about shelling out more money for v2, then don't. Stay with v1. Any bugs in v1 will still be fixed. It will not have any new features implemented, nor will "new" rules be implemented under it -- all new items and feature enhancements go into the current version, which has been v2 for some time now.

v1 will continue to be supported with bug fixes and question and answers on the forum board. I'm not abandoning anyone. The money that you spent on v1 is still just as good as it was when you first purchased it. The only reason to purchase the upgrade to v2 is if you want to get access to the new features (which are substantial) in the app.


Just so we're clear here, my gripe wasn't with the way the program (either version) implements the Hero system or incorporates new rules or enhancements. In those terms, I think it's a terrific program, well worth the money I spent. As I experiment more with v2, I'll likely pick up to a better extent on the new features that you've implemented. The value added from those will likely make me very willing to pay for a reasonably priced upgrade.

However, your mention of system requirements does make me bristle. My system is much more powerful than the system requirements. Nevertheless, v1 is often very, very slow when opening new windows, switching from tab to tab, moving items up and down a list, etc. The most profound difference I discovered upon firing up v2 was that it moved about 10 times faster than v1. The other enhancements are gravy, and I recognize your right to charge for those. But the speed issue to me is a necessary fix that has yet to be made to v1.

[Simon]

There will be no change made to v1 in those regards. It is not a bug.

It is a feature enhancement in v2: a complete re-write of the underlying engine, designed around performance and flexibility.

[rjd59]

I personally have no problem with having to pay for the upgrade when it is finally released. As with many programs, I am assuming that the upgrade cost will be aproximately around half the price of the full program give or take a few bucks. Are the upgrades that have been or will be made in verion 2 going to be worth my spending the cash for it is the real question. Well so far I'd have to say yes! I've enjoyed all the new enhancements and greater flexibility that v2 has. I've also enjoyed this period of time in being able to test v2 out as it is before it's released.
The onlt gripe that I have about the whole thing is every time I find something that I would consider a bug, I come here to find someone else has already reported it and it's been fixed!
:D

[Simon]

Originally posted by rjd59
I personally have no problem with having to pay for the upgrade when it is finally released. As with many programs, I am assuming that the upgrade cost will be aproximately around half the price of the full program give or take a few bucks. Are the upgrades that have been or will be made in verion 2 going to be worth my spending the cash for it is the real question. Well so far I'd have to say yes! I've enjoyed all the new enhancements and greater flexibility that v2 has. I've also enjoyed this period of time in being able to test v2 out as it is before it's released.
The onlt gripe that I have about the whole thing is every time I find something that I would consider a bug, I come here to find someone else has already reported it and it's been fixed!
:D

Hrrrm....well, if it would make you happier, I guess I could be slower with the bug fixes....

;)