Woo, what's the point of having a poll if one side is automatically wrong.
Several people seem to have a problem with this statement of mine "Its not as if WB skinning is anymore of a task, I feel quite the opposite as there's no scripting or real thinking involved at all."
MindlessPuppet....try not to live up to your name quite so much.
I've never heard such utter tripe in all my years of skinning. |
- Jafo
| MindlessPuppet, as someone who stated on the GUI Olympics boards that you just couldn't manage to finish your own WB entry in time, I am suprised that you now find it so simplistic and, well, mindless. |
- MikeB314
I think a lot of you misconstrued what I said here, or perhapes I didn't say it well enough. I have skinned for WindowBlinds, Sonique, WinAmp, MediaPlayer, and there's probably quite a few I have forgotten. What I have found is that WindowBlinds is by far the easiest to create a skin for. Yes, it is time consuming, but it isn't difficult. This could largely be due to skin studio and the fact a person can simply plug imaes in where they fit. With WinAmp, Sonique, and WinMedia you must completely write a script for your skins, and things that seem simple enough can take hours upon hours of fine tuning a single function. Furthermore it tends to be more difficult to design a freeform skin than it is to skin a box with buttons.
As far as me not finishing my own WB skin for GUIO, again it is time comsuming, and I was pressed for time between a crapy job, college, and texturing for a game project.
| Dont worry Mindless, there may be people who release 'half-assed' skins to just up their level, but as Promotions Are Not Automatic, I dont think they will get very far. |
- EventHorizon
Admittedly I didn't know that the level system wasn't automated, in which case I stand both corrected and relieved.
| Mmm... Its not like every single skinner out there will immidately be promoted to Master and only release premium work... |
- EventHorizon
That's yet to be seen, and you're probably right, but who can say for two years down the line. It's all a matter of how WC handles premium skins I guess, seems like it will have to be a very fine balancing act.
- IPlural
Simply put, I said 'skins' should be free, not skinning. Though nice word play.
| Anyone who feels it should all be free needs to remember that once a hobby starts to FEEL like work there is better than a 99% chance that it very well is. |
- IPlural
If it is work, than it's not quite a hobby anymore. And if you feel something that use to be fun is now a chore, you should probably give it up, tis why we have so many bitter old men.
When I buy Photoshop I have to pay if I want to buy additional plugins.
When I buy 3D Studio, I have to pay for the 3D models I want to use. There are entire websites dedicated to selling 3D models for 3D Studio, Maya, etc.
When I buy a game there are expansion packs, level packs, etc. that cost mmoney. |
- Frogboy
I use The GiMP for most of my work, but back when I used/use Photoshop I never payed for plug-ins there are plenty of free alternatives.
As towards buying models, I can relate to this all-to-well, assuming you buy them to texture there are plenty of modellers out there who would be more than happy to give you models for free. As you need their model to texture for a texturing portfolio, and textures make their models look a whole hell of a lot more impressive textured than bare for their portfolios. Also theres always the option of working on model beit texturing or animating for games and whatnot.
As towards buying additions for games, I refuse to, quite simply because Quake wasn't so long ago, and the idea of selling levels and models was obsurd. THOUGH! in argument against myself multilayer was always the biggest thing for me, and if we had to buy certain levels it would dramaticaly cut down on the people available to play a game with you, buying a skin no one else uses doesn't really ruin the experience...
| When I get an MP3 player I am expected to pay for the music for it. |
- Frogboy
I enjoyed this statment. 'expected' to pay for mp3s...
Anyhow this is all based on opinions, personally i wish we had a few *nix users in here... but well, being WINcustomize and all that's quite unlikely. What this comes down to is that there is no right or wrong, but what is and what isn't. There is a demand for skins, and the is a desire to make money, so if I think skins should be free it doesn't matter, they won't be. It seems that the free skin will become a thing of the past in a few years. As more premium skins come in to existence, so will piracy of those skins. And as this piracy becomes more widespread, skins authors will feel the need to charge more and make less free content.
