Oldtimer newbie's reflections
Posted: 05 May 2008, 10:48
So Bauhaus shutdown it's Mirage department and here I am, an old-timer/newbie, looking around familiar places and curious about the direction TVPaint Animation is set for. Could someone give me a heads up on the development philosophy of the application's future? Who is the target consumer? What will happen to the Mirage name? What are some of the basic marketing strategies?
I worry out of experience. I have bought into more than my share of applications only to see one after another collapse for lack of generating a wide market base; AXA for $ 3,000, CTW for the same price, Aura -- was it $ 600? Then Mirage for $ 600 and now TVPaint Animation for another $ 600 upgrade.
I have little trouble opening my wallet (twice) each time because I make a living with these applications. I'm not the only one but frankly, how many of us professional 2D animator's are there in the world? I don't know but I am certain that there are not enough of us to sustain the development of a viable application.
We depend on the amateurs, the hobbyists and the wide-eyed students to keep the developers in business, but how many of these enthusiasts can dish out $ 1,000 for software to play with when they come back from the office and don't want to watch TV?
I don't know the answers to these questions and I don't even know if I am asking the right questions. Maybe I am screwed up. That's why I open this thread.
I worry out of experience. I have bought into more than my share of applications only to see one after another collapse for lack of generating a wide market base; AXA for $ 3,000, CTW for the same price, Aura -- was it $ 600? Then Mirage for $ 600 and now TVPaint Animation for another $ 600 upgrade.
I have little trouble opening my wallet (twice) each time because I make a living with these applications. I'm not the only one but frankly, how many of us professional 2D animator's are there in the world? I don't know but I am certain that there are not enough of us to sustain the development of a viable application.
We depend on the amateurs, the hobbyists and the wide-eyed students to keep the developers in business, but how many of these enthusiasts can dish out $ 1,000 for software to play with when they come back from the office and don't want to watch TV?
I don't know the answers to these questions and I don't even know if I am asking the right questions. Maybe I am screwed up. That's why I open this thread.
