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Home ? Feedback ? An open Letter to Muvizu's developers

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01/09/2016 18:27:29

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		I want to start by saying that I love this software. Whoever conceptualized it and created the amazingly intuitive interface is brilliant! At the current price it is by far the most affordable and usable product of its type on the market. In my opinion, you haven't even scratched the surface of your earning potential. If you focused on making money through sales of add-on products (and if you actually dedicated resources to CREATING useful add-on products) you could arrange deals with all sorts of hardware manufacturers to include Muvizu as bundles with their products. Every video card should come with Muvizu. That would position you for a huge active user base who would all want to buy your accessory packs.

Instead, you dedicate your development resources to create 3D rotation packs and Oculus rift viewer packs that are useless to 99.9% of the people who use your software. That's not good marketing strategy.

I have to wonder why the dev team would spend resources to develop useless stuff when there are features we've been asking for and which we are willing to pay for! It had to cost Digimania a fair amount of money to pay for the man hours involved in the development of the oculus and 360 degree rotation features, neither of which is really useful in the world of video creation. I have to guess its because Muvizu is based on a game engine, and you probably hire developers from the gaming industry, who come to the workplace with ideas and skills that are useful in that environment. But although there is some overlap, they are two different paradigms. Your customers are basically film makers, and until Muvizu starts catering to the specific needs of video production the products you release will continue to be useless to us, and money losers for the company.

Given the low price of the base product, the expansion packs are where you stand to make money. Develop what we want, and we'll buy it. Develop things we can't use, and we won't.

My suggestion (if anyone at Muvizu gives a d@mn about what the users think) is:
1) Devote resources to providing accessories for the new characters. Cool as they are, they remain fairly useless without the ability to change their outfits and appearance.

2) Also a utility character that has the best features of the potato heads (lots of skeletal attachment points) and of the newer characters (ability to turn off the various body parts we don't need) would be useful. We could use such a character to create our own specialty creatures without all the constraints we have when trying to modify the current characters

3) And finally, in the absence of dev team involvement with the forum, users have started experimenting on their own. We now know that it is possible to create quadrapeds by editing the XML files. True, we are prohibited from doing so by the user agreement... but knowing that it is possible changes our expectations for the dev team. You can no longer tell us that it isn't possible to do what we've been asking for.

We want at least one professionally designed quadraped that has enough attachment points that we can morph it into other creatures with a little modelling skill. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'd pay whatever you asked for such a character! I think just about everyone would.


In summary: expand your user base with bundling deals, then fill the store with useful accessories, and I predict your revenue will take off like a rocket. Or not. Your call.

--------------------------
edited by PatMarrNC on 01/09/2016
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01/09/2016 18:53:52

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		He ain't wrong you know.
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01/09/2016 19:40:41

wdeprospo
wdeprospo
Posts: 86 		God bless you. Hole in one.
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01/09/2016 19:49:57

MrDrWho13Muvizu mogulExperimental user
MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220 		I wish I could say you're wrong with this one, but I can't find any reason to. So What He Said
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01/09/2016 21:03:29

BrianGray
BrianGray
Posts: 45 		I agree with PatMarrNC and my other neighbors.


Brian
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01/09/2016 21:33:13

ikesMuvizu mogul
ikes
Posts: 282 		I can not say anything else than: I endorse this post of Pat. boink
Oh, and I like to add to that: more character actions!
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01/09/2016 21:48:40

MrDrWho13Muvizu mogulExperimental user
MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220 		ikes wrote:
Oh, and I like to add to that: more character actions!

+1 to this. Or at least the ability to add custom actions. I don't think any have been added since 2012/2013.
edited by MrDrWho13 on 01/09/2016
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01/09/2016 22:25:56

ikesMuvizu mogul
ikes
Posts: 282 		MrDrWho13 wrote:
ikes wrote:
Oh, and I like to add to that: more character actions!

+1 to this. Or at least the ability to add custom actions. I don't think any have been added since 2012/2013.
edited by MrDrWho13 on 01/09/2016


Exactly. They should have Developed instead of VR and 360 video, a kinect movement recorder.
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02/09/2016 00:30:45

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738
The following may or may not be true...


it sure sounds like it could be true. Especially the part about not having any idea what they want the product to be.

But if return on investment is really all they want... all the more reason to follow my advice and the advice of everyone who has posted on this forum asking for specific things over the past few years.

Money is always flowing from one place to another, and if they aren't getting their share, it indicates they are either not marketing effectively or not offering products that their demographic wants. The demographic that opts for the $30 animation package instead of the $200 package is more likely to make several small purchases than one large one. Accessories that enhance the usability of their preferred product are easy purchases to make.

it is an awesome product, I think a large percentage of the world's population could find a use for it (that's potentially MILLIONS of customers...)

I can afford any product I want... and I have many of them... but I like this one because I believe it is easy to learn and you can extend its capability if you know how to model. That's a good foundation to build on.

  • Provide new users with an easy to learn interface (done)
  • Provide experienced users with the flexibility to create custom content (done)
  • Provide a steady stream of new (and useful) characters, accessories and actions in competitively priced expansion packs (not done)
  • Market the heck out of it (I have no idea what marketing is done, but I regularly look for products like this, and I only stumbled across it by accident. Somebody who is looking for your product diligently ought to be able to find it in the very first web query, or somebody isn't doing his/her job.

edited by PatMarrNC on 02/09/2016
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02/09/2016 07:24:19

ukBertyMuvizu mogulExperimental user
ukBerty
Posts: 975 		Sadly Dreeko's interpretation of the situation is the same as mine and I agree with everything you say Pat.

I made a conscious decision not to comment on Muvizu's direction about three years ago as I realised that I didn't understand it and it was not in line with what I wanted or needed from the software. My mum taught me that if I have nothing good to say then say nothing.
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02/09/2016 09:40:51

MuvizuTeam
MuvizuTeam
Posts: 25 		Hi All,
Jo here. Thank you for your letter. I will share your comments and the points raised. As previously mentioned - we are a small team but we will be back in touch as soon as possible.
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02/09/2016 10:27:54

DreekoMuvizu mogulExperimental user
Dreeko
Posts: 1257 		MuvizuTeam wrote:
Hi All,
Jo here. Thank you for your letter. I will share your comments and the points raised. As previously mentioned - we are a small team but we will be back in touch as soon as possible.


Oh hello Jo!
And what do you do in the land of Muvizu?
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02/09/2016 13:05:26

MuvizuTeam
MuvizuTeam
Posts: 25 		Dreeko wrote:
MuvizuTeam wrote:
Hi All,
Jo here. Thank you for your letter. I will share your comments and the points raised. As previously mentioned - we are a small team but we will be back in touch as soon as possible.


Oh hello Jo!
And what do you do in the land of Muvizu?




Hi Dreeko,

Sorry for the delay. I work in the commercial team - marketing, sales etc.
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02/09/2016 14:27:44

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		Dreeko wrote:
ukBerty wrote:
Sadly Dreeko's interpretation of the situation is the same as mine and I agree with everything you say Pat.

I made a conscious decision not to comment on Muvizu's direction about three years ago as I realised that I didn't understand it and it was not in line with what I wanted or needed from the software. My mum taught me that if I have nothing good to say then say nothing.


Your Mum was right but this situation with Muvizu is ridiculous. It's obvious that Muvizu is never going to recover the money invested without a serious rethink.


the irony of this statement is that I think Muvizu is positioned to make a KILLING on this software! They should be able to make back many times more than has EVER been invested in it! It's priced low enough that everybody can afford it... its easy enough that anybody can learn it.... its addictive enough that nobody wants to stop using it.... it creates a product that is useful for internet advertising, memes etc...

if we had quadrapeds it would be useful for making CAT VIDEOS!! What in the name of heaven is more popular and easy to sell than cat videos???

On a positive note. They did release an expansion pack with keyframing for cameras etc. That was a huge improvement and not an easy thing to implement.
So yay! Go Muvizu!

D
edited by Dreeko on 02/09/2016


I agree! The keyframe pack is AWESOME! I love it and use it in every video! It's exactly the kind of content pack that makes me want to buy it as soon as I see it in the store!
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02/09/2016 15:07:46

PatMarrNCMuvizu mogul
PatMarrNC
Posts: 1738 		MuvizuTeam wrote:
Hi All,
Jo here. Thank you for your letter. I will share your comments and the points raised. As previously mentioned - we are a small team but we will be back in touch as soon as possible.


Jo, thank you for commenting!

I hope this thread is not discouraging to anyone at Muvizu. It is intended to show our interest in the product and to point out that what we all want is really pretty simple. We don't want you to work overtime or jump through hoops. We just want you to redirect the same amount of work that you're already doing into features and expansion packs that we can use.

We recognize that Muvizu is one of many tools in the toolbox, and as such we don't ask you to recreate features that we already have in other products.

The most productive and most money-making thing for Muvizu is to take the existing paradigm and refine it:
  • Where there are bugs, fix them.
  • We love the actions so much, we'd rejoice if we had more.
  • expansion packs!
  • outfits!
  • characters that are modifiable! (this is why most of us still use the potato heads... they are more modifiable)
  • timeline enhancements!
the list could get long and overwhelming. But pick one and run with it.

We'll buy it. You'll make money. Everybody will be happy
.
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02/09/2016 15:39:18

MuvizuTeam
MuvizuTeam
Posts: 25 		PatMarrNC wrote:
MuvizuTeam wrote:
Hi All,
Jo here. Thank you for your letter. I will share your comments and the points raised. As previously mentioned - we are a small team but we will be back in touch as soon as possible.


Jo, thank you for commenting!

I hope this thread is not discouraging to anyone at Muvizu. It is intended to show our interest in the product and to point out that what we all want is really pretty simple. We don't want you to work overtime or jump through hoops. We just want you to redirect the same amount of work that you're already doing into features and expansion packs that we can use.

We recognize that Muvizu is one of many tools in the toolbox, and as such we don't ask you to recreate features that we already have in other products.

The most productive and most money-making thing for Muvizu is to take the existing paradigm and refine it:
  • Where there are bugs, fix them.
  • We love the actions so much, we'd rejoice if we had more.
  • expansion packs!
  • outfits!
  • characters that are modifiable! (this is why most of us still use the potato heads... they are more modifiable)
  • timeline enhancements!
the list could get long and overwhelming. But pick one and run with it.

We'll buy it. You'll make money. Everybody will be happy
.


Hi PatMarrNC,

Not at all. Your feedback and support shows you care and are interested in making the product as best as it can be.

Jo
edited by MuvizuTeam on 02/09/2016
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02/09/2016 15:46:06

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		Hey Dreeko! Long time no post You're dead right about the keyframing - just a pity it doesn't WORK!! It randomly flips the camera through 360 degrees and has been doing so since it was released along with v1.6, as well as 'removing' an axis of movement - we are now at v1.8 and it's still broke. If your software is fundamentally broken, you can't sell it. If you keep updating the software with progressively more broken versions (like v1.8), you're not only not going to sell it, but people will want their money back, or just abandon the software and go use something else instead (something that works!). If you have a flat tyre on your car, you don't add a fifth wheel to compensate, but this is exactly what Muvizu has been doing. Enough already.
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02/09/2016 17:41:48

ziggy72Muvizu mogulExperimental user
ziggy72
Posts: 1988 		Dreeko wrote:
Take a breath Zig...

In and out,

That's it...

You know what really grinds my gears, D? When I think back to posts like this one (which I made on the 13th of June, before v1.8 came out). I posted it in Zuchat, because I didn't want to say it here :

Any update would be good news - as long as it doesn't follow the normal routine... (new version, new features, old features now broken, wait for months for fix).

And where are we at now? When it gets this predictable, I've got to question why I'm even here. I wouldn't put up with this from any other software I've got, and yet from Muvizu I've actually come to expect it...?! I still have faith in the program - it still isn't anywhere near it's full potential, and you can do amazing things with it, but I fear for it's future when it's left to limp along on 3 legs with more and more saddlebags thrown on for effect.
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02/09/2016 19:05:06

MrDrWho13Muvizu mogulExperimental user
MrDrWho13
Posts: 2220 		Dreeko wrote:
Digimania,
What do you think, should Ziggy72 and others hang around waiting for more updates and bug fixes or should they go elsewhere?
Do them a favour and let them know if Muvizu has a future. They've been the most loyal supporters of your software the least you can do is stop wasting their time with vague hints that all is going to be well if you know it really isn't!

There are free alternatives to Muvizu now, unlike when it started.
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02/09/2016 19:06:11

Quoling
Quoling
Posts: 112 		Not been on this site in years - didn't even know it was still going. Gave up on Muvizu a couple of years back after the first major overall of the system as it was (despite being 64 bit) so clunky and awkward to use I couldn't afford to waste more time screaming at the screen...
I cannot believe it's only on version 1.8 !! - should be on version 3.0 by now.
Anyway add another +1 to the above from a user who started using Muvizu back in the dark ages.
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Home ? Feedback ? An open Letter to Muvizu's developers

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Muvizu is easy to use 3D animation software that allows anyone to create high quality animations quickly and easily. Muvizu’s animation engine is ideal for storytellers, animators, teachers and businesses looking to engage, enchant and delight audiences with animated content.