disingenuous marketing

[bsk]

Having recently upgraded from the free version to the Gold version on the strength of an email sent by the company, I find it disingenuous that it was not made clear that there are differences in the fuctionailty of G-force on different OSs.

I was particularly interested in having the toolbar, but apparently that is not available in the Mac OS X version. Had I known that, I would not have upgraded now.

The website says that is being worked on, but presumably that version will come out shortly after my year's worth of 'free' upgrades stops and I will be expected to pay again.

Well it won't. I have no more now than I had with the free version, so I certainly won't throw more good money after bad.

Rant over.

[I8Snow4Aurora]

Maybe I could loan you mine. It's a nice feature to have, without a doubt, but it's surely not a deal breaker. Besides, I spend most of my time adjusting the almost too many variables (Direct-X, DSP plug-ins, Audigy controls) that the art of properly rocking-out entails these days.

I know, that's easy for me to say, but there are a lot of visualization programs around, and some very good ones too, but I am still blown away everytime I dial-up the G-Force.

[willrob]

The MacOSX version of the toolbar should be out in the first quarter of 2006, along with G-Force 3.1. So you would gt a free update.

[bsk]

Maybe I could loan you mine. It's a nice feature to have, without a doubt, but it's surely not a deal breaker. Besides, I spend most of my time adjusting the almost too many variables (Direct-X, DSP plug-ins, Audigy controls) that the art of properly rocking-out entails these days.

Hi 18Snow...

ahh.. if you gave me yours I would have to give up my Mac ..... not an option I could envisage this side of death

No, it's not a deal breaker, it is a very good bit of software. My point is that as it is cross platfrom, its marketing lit should point out the major areas where it loses functionality on a particular OS. Had I know the OSX toolbar was only going to be available in the first quarter of 2006, as willrob (hi, willrob) says, I would have looked into upgrading in the 2nd quarter.

The only reason I really want the toolbar is beacuse I find the console intyerface vey irritating. Perhaps, if the 'help' text was supplied as a text file things woukd be easier. However as it is, you have to constantly press H and try to remember commands which dissolve over ever changing background within a few seconds.

[I8Snow4Aurora]

Hello bsk,

You know, I have been thinking about a Mac for my next PC purchase as from what little I have seen from them they are very nice computers. The main thing holding me back, however, is the sort of thing you are facing here. The cyberworld seems to be so incredibly anti-Mac.
I guess I wasn't really very helpful. It's just that you seemed very frustrated (rightfully so) and I thought that you may have had your finger on that uninstall trigger. Believe me, I don't want to suit-up as CAPTIAN G-FORCE or anything, it's just that I read your post directly after an extended music session and was thus, still in a G-Force euphoric state.
I haven't really explored very deeply into the various uses of the G-Force Toolbar. As you could probably tell from my previous post, I'm so darn anal about my music that by the time I get the sound of a song just right, the song is almost over. I probably need to be medicated. I am going to learn more about G-Force and the different methods of controlling the program. At least I have an informed forum to turn to for help with this. The nuances of G-Force are very intriguing and just plain cool.

[adam12]

hey bsk... perhaps this'll help?


SHIFT H --- Documentation
SHIFT C --- Check anonymously for updates ON/OFF

\ ------ Hide console ON/OFF
V ------ Verbose console ON/OFF

RET ----- Full screen ON/OFF
M ----- Switch full screen resolution
SHIFT M --- Switch full screen depth
SHIFT D --- Pixel doubling ON/OFF
SHIFT L --- Line boost

` ------ Save snapshot
R ------ Frame rate
T ------ Track info
SHIFT T --- Auto track info ON/OFF
- + ----- -/+ response scale
[ ] ----- -/+ preamp scale
SHIFT A --- Switch audio source

L ------ List current configs
P ------ Auto particles ON/OFF
SHIFT P --- Auto sprites ON/OFF
Y ------ Start new particle
SHIFT Y --- Start new sprite
K ------ Kill running particles and sprites
G F ----- All sideshows ON/OFF
Q W E ---- Prev/Next/Slideshow ColorMap
A S D ---- Prev/Next/Slideshow FlowField
Z X C ---- Prev/Next/Slideshow WaveShape

CTRL X --- Run script named \"CTRL X\"
SHIFT CTRL X Write current configs to script named \"CTRL X\"
SHIFT K --- Kill all running scripts

U ------ Purge file cache and recreate current configs
SHIFT U --- Purge file cache, rescan folders, and recreate current configs

[JayPro]

hey bsk... perhaps this'll help?


SHIFT H --- Documentation
SHIFT C --- Check anonymously for updates ON/OFF

\ ------ Hide console ON/OFF
V ------ Verbose console ON/OFF

RET ----- Full screen ON/OFF
M ----- Switch full screen resolution
SHIFT M --- Switch full screen depth
SHIFT D --- Pixel doubling ON/OFF
SHIFT L --- Line boost

` ------ Save snapshot
R ------ Frame rate
T ------ Track info
SHIFT T --- Auto track info ON/OFF
- + ----- -/+ response scale
[ ] ----- -/+ preamp scale
SHIFT A --- Switch audio source

L ------ List current configs
P ------ Auto particles ON/OFF
SHIFT P --- Auto sprites ON/OFF
Y ------ Start new particle
SHIFT Y --- Start new sprite
K ------ Kill running particles and sprites
G F ----- All sideshows ON/OFF
Q W E ---- Prev/Next/Slideshow ColorMap
A S D ---- Prev/Next/Slideshow FlowField
Z X C ---- Prev/Next/Slideshow WaveShape

CTRL X --- Run script named "CTRL X"
SHIFT CTRL X Write current configs to script named "CTRL X"
SHIFT K --- Kill all running scripts

U ------ Purge file cache and recreate current configs
SHIFT U --- Purge file cache, rescan folders, and recreate current configs

While showing this is helpful, I think what bsk is trying to say--and what I've been a proponent of for a long time--is that it'd be better to have this info readily on tap as a text file, rather as a console display or a webpage...in which case if you try to open the online Docs while the app is running, it'll crash.

Besides, it remains on-screen too briefly to be able to write it all down...unless you're a glutton for punishment and keep pressing the H key till you've got everything down.

You could also press the tilde (`/~) key after pressing H to get a screen-cap of the Help text; but this also seems kind of a drag.

[bsk]

Hi 8Snow4Aurora

I've been using Macs since 1993 so I'm biased, but things are not as they used to be. There is a Windows bias generally, but with OS X being *nix based there is so much more out there which the old Mac OS lacked. I love it and are confotable with things. Windows will dominate, but aside from having to use it at work, I can now ignore it.

But, hey, get a Mac, you won't regret it! Grasp it if you want. javascript:emoticon(':D')

Getting back to G-force, I agree that it is a really good visualiser, bar none. I would not really like to be without it - my previous comments excepted. I wouldn't unistall it. My girlfriend & I spend hours, late at night, gawking at it in iTunes - well some of the night javascript:emoticon('') .

Perhaps I'm not as 'anal' as you say you are, but I'm pretty close to it. I want to have more control, understand the different elements. But as said previously I don't want to fiddle around in the console endlessley. And this what I think the toolbar can do - I might be wrong.

Regrads

Bernard

[bsk]

Hi adam12

def help that - that will give me lots of things to do on the week-end. Absolutely agree with all you say.

Tx

B

[bsk]

Sorry JayPro & adam12

Got mixed up about your posts, both helpfull. Thanks.

B

[chkman]

JayPro,

You could also press the tilde (`/~) key after pressing H to get a screen-cap of the Help text;

Actually it clears the text from the screen before it saves the BMP. Y'd have to use Alt-Print Screen to capture it. Or copy and paste the above text from this post into a text file.

I know the keys that I use. The others don't matter coz I don't use 'em.

BTW, How's it going?

[andy55]

Having recently upgraded from the free version to the Gold version on the strength of an email sent by the company, I find it disingenuous that it was not made clear that there are differences in the fuctionailty of G-force on different OSs.

I was particularly interested in having the toolbar, but apparently that is not available in the Mac OS X version. Had I known that, I would not have upgraded now.

The website says that is being worked on, but presumably that version will come out shortly after my year's worth of 'free' upgrades stops and I will be expected to pay again.

Well it won't. I have no more now than I had with the free version, so I certainly won't throw more good money after bad.

Rant over.

First off, let me apologize. The short story is that the email content addressing the toolbar was not intended to end up in the mac os user emails, but unfortunately did for a short time due a mistake on our part. As a result, we gave users like you a false impression.

Meanwhile, know that the toolbar for mac os is now in alpha testing and the v-bar is very soon to follow. Email me at andy at soundspectrum.com with your license code info and I'll hook you up with alpha/beta access. Or, if you prefer, we'll be more than willing to give you a full refund.

In any case, thanks for your patience and let me know what you'd like to do.

Andy

[adam12]

well for me, i just got the above text from the help.txt script, cleaned it up and printed it out...

i posted it thinking you could just cut and paste it into your own text file and save it on your PC...

no need to screen cap, no need to bring up a web page...