like something about this still stinks y'know? there's something that feels extremely scummy about what's on offer, especially the "concessions" made. for instance, getting rid of the splash screen sure feels like it was something that they knew would get them free brownie points even though it doesn't really actually mean anything. not having a splash screen is a status symbol more than it is anything else. it's the equivalent of wearing a brand, but in reverse

and the end result is still something that relies on some pretty fuckin' arcane math at its core and @mcc's post here shows how it does still end up costing more for a pretty substantial segment of smaller developers, especially when you factor in how you have to deal with per-seat pro licenses. there's also things like how this still seems to affect webgl games and the like and just... it's gross?

it's fuckin' gross

I hate this shit

this is very much a "business decision" and it feels pretty transparent. I think the part where it was retroactive was fucking gross and sure, it's good that it's gone, but these terms are still kinda... bad. they require extra work, they require baffling examples of self-reporting, they still hit mobile titles in kinda weird ways too. like, even premium ones? because a lot of premium mobile games now are "download for free, pay for unlock" because apple doesn't let you do two listings anymore, one for demo and one for paid

and that's a problem! because people buying stuff on mobile don't really... buy games. things with price tags are an immediate turnoff there. a lot of players won't even give you the time of day if you've got a leading dollar sign, so a lot of games just do the whole thing as their lone in app payment. big install base, single piece of software, can't report via sale. you get hit again and again by this because it doesn't fall under their demo exemption shit

but I think the thing that pisses me off the most is how people are falling for it? I don't mean people who are in a position where they have to run the numbers to see if this is better than just outright switching to other engines; indie dev is basically fraught enough with potential financial peril and switching engines mid-flight is a potentially disastrous process, especially with how a lot of the potential alternatives are still in a real bad state

no, I mean the people who are currently high-fiving and going "WE DID IT, TEAM!" as if these changes are something to celebrate, as if unity didn't just show how they were absolutely willing to open an offer with "this shit is retroactive and you'll fucking thank us for it" and "reinstalls count as installs" and a whole host of other shit

the only winners here are unity

I won't be using unity for personal projects going forward. I know a few people who have backtracked because it's less likely to be a financially ruinous prospect for them to do so and like... fuckin' good! not just for them, but for me since I sometimes do contract work. but there's really no way around the fact that this is a significant price increase with real weird math attached that sure seems to be there to make things shake out in their favour. it feels like how a lot of subscription services make money off people who just aren't keeping track of what they're paying for right

it sucks. this sucks. shit sucks and is bad.