What is Default Splash Screen?

Solar2D General Questions/Discussion
#41

I started this topic to get some clarification from Corona on the issue. I have been withholding my comments until someone from Corona tells us more and it seem like they have been keeping quiet until it was made official on their blogs. 

Firstly, I have been on Corona for the past few years, from Pro to Free to “Splash Screen Gate”. I don’t mind paying for this feature, as many have said it…other platforms are doing the same, and i don’t expect anything to be free. My two cents:

  1. $99 is really stiff for this purpose, and stop saying Corona is FREE. Something around $25/year, I think is a fair price for me.

  2. Ever since Corona has gone thru a few acquisitions, there is so much uncertainty in your communication. Force this on us when everyone is busy getting their apps updated. Not helping Corona. Crucial developer monetization issues like Admob are kept in the dark. 

Ben.  

#42

I’m more than ok paying $99 to support Corona ( Suggestion: what about a smaller Enterprise version at around $39-$49/month?).

Only thing though, please do a competition for the splash screen design. It doesn’t look that good right now, it should be more subtle.

Or what about having a few different splash screen the developers can choose (like a black standard, a gray one, a white one, etc etc)?

Also “Powered by Corona Labs?” Wouldn’t “Powered by Corona SDK” (or only Corona but guess it’s not possible, right?) be better?

#43

Hi all,

As some of you remember (and for those who don’t even know me) I’ve been with Corona since, well… pretty much since the beginning. Officially for around 4-5 years, and as a Corona developer for 1-2 years before that. My other duties keep me somewhat less active in the forums, but every day I work toward helping all of you succeed with thorough documentation, learning materials, framework improvements, and more. So, I might be justified to provide some thoughts on a few sentiments being discussed. :slight_smile:

We knew this announcement would stir things up. That was inevitable. No announcement of this nature is going to make everybody cheer and dance, but as Rob mentioned, Corona is not an open-source hobby project. Everybody on the Corona Labs team pushes relentlessly and passionately toward making Corona better for you , and we do so as passionately as you dream up and develop your apps.

Yes, we probably didn’t “time” this as well as we could have, and labeling it as a “feature” was not our best decision (although please read further down on this point). We’re not perfect, and for that I apologize (sincerely; no sarcasm there).

There’s one thing I want to be absolutely clear on: this is not some last gasp effort. This is just one reaction/response to the reality of an ever-changing app development landscape. Some of you loved the “Pro/Basic/Starter” model and want it back. Some of you hated it. Some people liked “Corona Game Edition” (I challenge anybody here to tell me what that was, but I remember). Some of you would love to pay for Corona monthly, while others want to pay absolutely nothing, ever. And yet others would actually be willing to pay more than what we’re effectively charging with this plugin, because they value what we offer and they believe in the platform.

Finally, to conclude, I want to elaborate on the “feature” branding of this plugin. Right now, it might seem premature to label it that way, but this is not the final iteration. We will continue to develop it and improve it. For those who don’t like the current visual appearance, we will continue to discuss it internally and (as Rob mentioned) we might even gather community votes and contributions toward a new layout, multiple layout options, and more. What if it even let you combine Corona branding with your company logo, or if it displayed them in tandem with cross-fade effects? I am not guaranteeing or promising any of these features at this exact moment, but I want to emphasize that this plugin is essentially “v1”.

Onward and upward,

Brent

#44

Most people who use free Engines/Platforms/SDK’s are people who are new to game development and still testing the waters. I for one have a set budget for my entire project which will be spent on (developer accounts, assets for the game, other services & marketing) now suddenly a 99$ comes out of nowhere. 

I as many people already stated don’t have a problem supporting Corona for 99$/year( which is a lot in my native currency), and Corona has every right to try to monetize and grow itself, but if you are going to ask people for money then you need to give them something worthwhile and not create a problem and force them to deal with it, yes"Force". Corona should have offered some new features, for example: 
-Camera object,

-Lightning & Shadow effects,

-Particle system,

-Wi-Fi builds,

-IDE with visual and code editor, to name a few.

But instead, the people at Corona  used an opportunity like a new IOS release to try to enforce people to pay them money at the last minute before they submit to the app store. A very poor handling by Corona that will make people skeptical about continuing to use this product, because what’s next? suddenly you are going to charge people in order to submit to the app store? I mean anything is possible now. 

#45

Hi all,

Quick questions:

1) If we do not pay 99$/year will we be able to add our own custom splash screen after CORONA official splash screen?

Or that is not allowed by Apple (to have two splash screens)?

2) How long will splash screen be on (1 sec or …)?

I agree calling it feature is funny, it is badly presented by Corona (it is not a feature in any way).

Calling it “loyalty” or similar would be more precise/true.

At least they did not added an extra 99$ to remove splash from CORONA ENTERPRISE SMALL BUSINESS/UNLIMITED.

Many thanks.

Ivan

#46

Basically this.  

I was also happy paying the old paid tier a few years back, as a freelance Corona developer it was a tool of my trade and a complete no brainer.  Then it went free just like Unity etc., fair enough, but then just to drop in that horrible splash screen and say its a $99 option without warning is a bit cheeky IMO.  Of course I’ll be paying but I feel railroaded into the decision.

#47

@Abdou23, we appreciate your feedback (and all feedback in this discussion). To re-confirm what has been said already, Corona remains free… just with a 2-3 second splash screen. You can continue using Corona exactly as before – and submitting iOS apps that are compatible with iOS 10 – without paying Corona Labs anything. I’m not sure where that point was lost in the communication of this announcement. Corona remains free for all users unless they want to remove/customize the splash screen. As for new features, what do you want to see? We already have a full particle system, along with various lighting and shadow effects. A “camera” object is also relatively easy to implement. Perhaps if you clarify what things you desire, I can help point you toward the proper resources.

@Ivan, the Apple-style “launch images” can remain if you wish them to. Or you can build your own custom splash screen following the Corona one using normal scene management (or a display object, etc.).

@phil_s, we appreciate your support and I’m sorry you feel “railroaded” into this. We’d like to hear exactly what you wish the visual appearance of the splash screen would/could be to make it more appealing to you.

Brent

#48

Dear Brent, 

You’re getting some feedback how “unattractive” the default splash screen is right now. We’re also seeing pink borders posted by 3denator. Since this plugin looks like a prototype, why don’t Corona just delay this until it matures. Cause some of us really need to update our apps like now. People who would pay, will pay - whether it is today or a few weeks down the road. At least by then will all have an attractive splash screen. Would you want millions of users see your current design? I don’t. 

Frankly, i think your idea of customizable splash screen combining Corona and our own branding is a good idea (cause we both win, and we don’t have to pay $99). 

On a more serious note, please tell your CEO to read this topic and put this “feature” off for a few weeks. 

Ben. 

#49

@Brent, For me the only option is to remove it.  I am thinking though maybe today I can make a quick buck and spend the day updating all the apps I made for my customers with my own logo before theirs and tell them its $99 to remove it (joking of course).

#50

@phil_s… so is the visual appearance what is forcing your decision to remove it, or is it the core nature of the splash screen?

#51

Thanks for responding, you seem to be missing my point, what I’m saying is that it’s your right to try and monetize your product, but in return, you need to offer the paying users something NEW  in return. I understand that Corona is still free to use but the way you added this “Feature” makes me worry about what might happen in the future, maybe someday out of the blue you decide to charge users in order to submit their apps.

PS: please point me towards the docs for the particle editor and light/shadow effects. 

#52

@Brent My perception of it is that it makes a product feel cheap.  Its like going on a website and seeing something like “built with wix” in the bottom corner, it just doesn’t look nice.  Corona is great for games and I feel the splash is less offensive there, however there are a lot of business apps made with Corona too built around their own branding and this splash screen would really spoil the feel of the app.

#53

I have been with Corona for 4 years, I did think the removal of the tier system was a mistake and not a very good business decision. CL could of reduced the pro and enterprise costs perhaps and kept the splash screen version.

I have always been happy paying for something that people work hard to develop and Corona is continuley being developed without a doubt.

I got to thinking a while back perhaps they thought with the advent of corona ads or whatever it was, they could reap some money back.

Personally a little warning would have been good, but hey $99 is a small drop in the ocean.

I look at it like this, the people generally annoyed about this are beginners and have no revenue from their apps, surely this is a hobby at first in lots of circumstances; we choose to spend our cash on beer, cars, electronics etc, I chose to spend mine on the pro subscription as a beginner and as a hobby; it was a hobby until I began to earn money from my apps.

I am  generalizing here but just my opinion.

#54

Rob / Brent - how about an introductory softer hit of $49 for the time being? And perhaps give your current loyal users a limited coupon code as a nice gesture to save a further % off that price? 

#55

I think it’s the opposite. Beginners won’t care about a splash screen. While $99 is nothing if you’re a pro (so long as you’re given time to budget for it…), it’s more that it’s part of a worrying trend of sudden, major changes in strategy over the past 5 years. 

#56

@Nick,

Just for info, Enterprise small and unlimited do not have to pay to remove splash screen (for now).

#57

Why this need to one day to another for backward versions? Why cant say from oct 1 will be force a splash screen into every application? This will be only make angry the peoples.

#58

I started on Corona and Lua on 2012. Now, I’m rage quitting. Welcome Unity3D

#59

You are still gonna pay Unity, even more.

#60

Hi,

I am enterprise developer, than also i am getting this in my app as well.