@wooden falcon Might help: https://github.com/Allar/ue4-style-guide
#fab
north stirrup
wooden falcon
thank you
robust vector
Don't know if I could ever accept a style guide that uses S_ instead of SM_ for static meshes, but I didn't see anything else about it that I didn't like.
delicate dove
I have the same thing with particles.
P_ feels odd. but I generally try to follow that style guide
zealous ibex
I personally try and follow UE4's style guide when submitting for the marketplace, and when I hit an asset which isn't mentioned in there, I try to use that guide/ask others what they use. It's worked quite well for me so far
zealous ibex
Yeah, which is one of the reasons I generally try and resort to them both, but as long as you're consistent and there aren't any naming collisisions, I suppose it's fine?
delicate dove
the only really odd thing I am using is for material function I make. Luos_
makes em easy to find XD
modern perch
S_ - what?
zealous ibex
That's actually kind smart
modern perch
SM or gtfo
elfin plinth
Static Mesh S_ Many use SM_. We use S_.
zealous ibex
Are you able to display name material functions too? If so, that'd totally help prove that they're yours and the other person stole them ๐
modern perch
I use S_ for substance, so....
zealous ibex
WBP_ still makes sense for Widget Blueprints right? (UMG stuff)
modern perch
@gaunt flicker - fix your broken naming conventions :p
elfin plinth
would be curious to hear from @gaunt flicker why not use SM_ like "many use"
delicate dove
Allar and many others think, the shorter and more direct a name, the easier its to find using search
modern perch
that doesn't work when it's a single character tho..
elfin plinth
it's still stupid if it breaks the convention or makes it vague
only reason to use single char if it's really obvious what it means
like T_
or M_
and basically, when it's single word thing
like in those cases ๐
zealous ibex
Still, S_ could be static anything by that logic
elfin plinth
yeah, exactly
modern perch
exception being SK for skeletals, of course
zealous ibex
Heck, I could call my c++ file SC_ for static class ๐
But yeah, as there are multiple static things I'd say a 2 letter abbriviation is probably better, and heck, it's only 1 more letter ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
zealous ibex
But then I don't generally need to work with SMs, so ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
elfin plinth
widgets can be hud too
zealous ibex
Hm, guess that works too
elfin plinth
it might not be interactable
modern perch
HuDs are user interfaces of a sort
information may only flow one way, but it's still an interface
elfin plinth
we could debate on that ๐
gaunt flicker
Two schools of thought from UE3 days. Me and most people I know and work with prefer S_. Thats why yall can fork.
zealous ibex
Forks and submits a PR for community voting 
elfin plinth
SU_ ? ๐
gaunt flicker
Who uses substance <<; I've seen both SU and SUB_
zealous ibex
Nah, use _, way shorter ๐
zealous ibex
Yet still ue4.style links to yours ๐
Fine, I'll stop, thanks for creating the awesome resource though :)
sudden mason
Unreal is an odd duck when it comes to naming. In every other engine I use FX_ and Em_ for effects and emitters, but unreal people seem to be stuck in the P_ crap
delicate dove
because the emitters are inside a particle system :p
delicate dove
Yea, I hope that alongside niagara and its node-based system we'll get instances for em as well. that would open quite a bit of functionality
sudden mason
Having emitters as standalone files is pretty awesome. Easy to make changes that ripple across tons of effects. Though, in the later parts of production there tends to be a lot of emitters everywhere and it's hard to say what will get affected by a certain change
modern perch
that's what sensible naming conventions are for
sudden mason
Hehe, naming conventions die when crunch hits ๐
em_weap_muzz_smoke_linger_generic_white_lightadjusted_02
serene bridge
What's the deal with updating plugins via the seller portal? I want to submit a new version of a plugin but it seems like I can't select any engine versions that are supported by older versions of the plugin. So if I already have a version that supports 4.17 and another that supports 4.18, I can't submit a new version that supports 4.18. How is this supposed to be done?
serene bridge
I suppose you're supposed to keep a version on the portal for each engine version rather than plugin version, and replace the link when you need to update it?
zealous ibex
Ammm
If I'm not mistaken you should be able to edit the link or something, sec
Yeah, what you're saying is how I generally push updates if I'm not mistaken
Users don't get a version history or anything as far as I know, so you should treat the version on there as your latest release, where each engine version can have a link to that latest, or an older release
serene bridge
Ah okay, thanks!
zealous ibex
Yeah - press the submit file update button, and edit the links
Note that you can only support the latest 3 versions of UE4 ๐
(which sucks, especially if it takes Epic 5+ mo to review a plugin)
Google tells me it's 165 days ๐ค
I've made Epic wait for changes 3 days (initial file submission under the old system, and a day for when a few small changes needed to be made)....and this is one of the few plugins that I want to release ASAP, and not in a few months ๐
</rant>
serene bridge
Damn, I assumed submissions with the new system in September were fairly quick. The one or two updates I've done were fast, but maybe that's just updates.
zealous ibex
This one was submitted before september ๐ And updates can still take up to 3 or so weeks
north stirrup
And it's not out yet?
north stirrup
Submitted before september?
north stirrup
๐ฎ
zealous ibex
Jul 23, 07:53 EDT
Really need to go with my own website ๐
zealous ibex
Nah - I think this somehow got lost, I'm going to chase them up at the end of this week. Newer submisions aren't that fast, but are generally cleared in 1-2 or so months if I'm not mistaken
Though still, I think their EULA change from per-seat to regular without notifying plugin developers was kinda interesting. Most likely allowed to by their agreement, and at least this clears things up....but still
serene bridge
I submitted mine in June and published in September, that doesn't seem fair...
zealous ibex
Yeah - I've had one like that, but I ended up not releasing it in that period due to a few different reasons
Going to be releasing like clockwork starting end of January (due to the recent sale), so I hope the ones that are currently in review can join them in the to be released list
elfin plinth
@zealous ibex well, nobody could really tell if the old system was per seat anyway
wording wasn't exact
I mean, the system they had for 2 eula versions
they didn't advertise it on the marketplace either
it's just one another example how badly handled UE4 marketplace is
customers need to know the terms and not hire a lawyer every second month to decrypt the info
zealous ibex
Yeah, that's true, I'm just supprised they didn't tell anyone, but I don't really mind
But yeah - I really wish they had the engine and MP eula seperated, and it'd be slightly less cryptic
elfin plinth
I seriously doubt most marketplace users even knew about the per seat policy
as Epic never mentioned it on any official outlet, like blog or news
in any well organized platform, these kind of changes would be notified in a clear manner
modern perch
per seat policy?
elfin plinth
yeah
exactly
they've actually changed the EULA shortly after I posted that
although I doubt that post had anything to do with the change
marketplace asset review times is a huge issue too, I just didn't include it in the list as that's been talked over and over as long as marketplace has existed
especially the time to get code plugins approved is absurd
what is more absurd is that these are not difficult things if you have qualified staff dedicated to the marketplace development and maintenance
there are online stores operated by single persons that are better handled than UE4 marketplace
fresh crystal
it is a little different selling your own product vs providing a marketplace, but I agree there are a lot of pieces missing
elfin plinth
I could give more slack in 2014, when they brought in their initial hardcoded version
even it was done all backwards, it was their first step
but they haven't improved enough since
and they still charge 30%
fresh crystal
something that worries me is this from the thread the other day: ```1. Will buyers of packages that won't be updated due to this infringement be contacted and refunded? (or at least warned that their content might get them into a hot mess when used in a project)
We are not aware of actual infringement claims against any items in the Marketplace, nor do we know how buyers are using the content theyโve purchased. We do not plan to contact buyers who have purchased items that are flagged or modified. Epic is proactively conducting an audit of Marketplace content to ensure that policy enforcement is happening consistently.```
I was issued a refund for copyrighted content that was removed in December.
elfin plinth
automatically?
fresh crystal
so it seems they're not really sure what to do
I have no idea. I got an email saying I'd been issued a refund and the items were removed from the MP
elfin plinth
in past, you had to notice and ask yourself
fresh crystal
Oh, yeah I didn't ask.
fresh crystal
Seems a little odd to say there's no actual infringement claims when I got an email like this: ```Hello,
This message is to inform you that a refund has been issued for your recent purchase from the Unreal Marketplace. The asset has been recalled due to issues with the content. The asset pack was found to contain copyrighted content that the developer did not have the rights to distribute. The asset has been removed from the Marketplace and is no longer available for sale or download. A refund for your purchase has been issued. You should expect the funds returned to your original method of payment within the next few days.
Please remove the following content from your projects as soon as possible to avoid distributing the copyrighted content in your final products.```
fresh crystal
Yeah I agree it's good, but strange the new thread doesn't mention it
elfin plinth
for example, I never got that kind of message for that mentioned infinity blade sound pack
I probably still have it on my vault unless I've manually deleted it
and it was shipped by epic
fresh crystal
Right. That was a long time ago!
elfin plinth
sure
fresh crystal
I remember being annoyed it disappeared before I could grab it.
elfin plinth
that's why it's good to hear that they've changed their policies
because, even year after that infinity blade thing, they still didn't inform or refund customers automatically
I have a quote stored from slackers from marketplace staff member about it
fresh crystal
How does Unity handle copyright issues?
elfin plinth
no idea
fresh crystal
It's a tough problem because while in the US maybe the EULA protects Epic, but in countries with stronger consumer protections, selling something with an implied purpose that it can't be used for generally not allowed.
robust vector
@fresh crystal Do you remember what the content was?
I'm just curious to have an actual example
wooden falcon
I wonder if this will survive the coming purge? https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/animated-m4a1
bought it on sale awhile back...need to d/l before they take it off, I guess
elfin plinth
well
wooden falcon
no intention of ever using it in anything, I just sometimes buy stuff to see how they did it
elfin plinth
technically if they refund it, you can't indeed use it
as you haven't license for the asset anymore (if we forget about the potential copyright issues)
wooden falcon
hmm...there goes my plans to make a colt M1911, replacing any Colt branding with the Nike swoosh
upbeat iris
Probably won't survive, the name alone is infringement enough
robust vector
Who is it infringing on?
Colt no longer holds trademark on 'M4'
The term 'M4' was ruled to be a generic term for shortened variants of AR-15 type weapons
There are also 11 different manufacturers that produce M4 weapons. As long as the asset creator didn't put one of those brand's specific markings on it, it should be fine.
delicate dove
hmm, couldnt update the package I send for submission, so I send an email with the updated version.
get email, and most complaints where about the previous supplied package.
robust vector
They probably aren't going to look at files that weren't sent through the portal
delicate dove
i couldnt update the portal <_<
robust vector
yup
All you can do is try to guess what complaints they will have and have the new version ready to submit when you get the email
delicate dove
yea, 95% of complaints where already solved in the newer version, minus accidentally having linter active
they also claim it doesnt work on mobile, while I hadit tested on ios and android
so double checking that now again
9k shaders rebuilding over and over
there was one material, but it contains a comment in that material on what to disable/enable for android
my plans for an early night our of the window XD
robust vector
Are there any nodes in the material editor you can use to get the platform you are running on?
delicate dove
qualitySwitch
lusty edge
@robust vector First thing that came to mind when you said "M4" was the M4 US Armoured Vehicles. ๐
robust vector
You must be a bit older than me then lol
gaunt flicker
@delicate dove everything sucks
not your asset
just everything
ya know
yeah, ya know
delicate dove
hehe
delicate dove
want an lol btw
From the pdf explaining what I failed in the submission:
No overlapping Lightmap UVs Fail
Some light maps on your static meshes are not set up correctly and have
some overlap
meshes for vfx..
that never need any light baked.
sudden mason
So glad I decided against releasing my pack
sudden mason
Reading here it just seems like too much hassle
Getting it accepted, dealing with support and so on
delicate dove
also they decided to keep this: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/mega-sci-fi-particle-fx-bundle-3in1
from your tutorial.
well you often hear about the bad parts, but if you are just selling its often not this bad.
some of us are just a bit too involved.
i.e. me :p
Content must consist primarily of original work and differ from the result of public tutorials.
sudden mason
Bwahahaha! I just saw your comment on it
And you linked to a youtube channel that also stole my tutorial
Can't trust anybody
delicate dove
hehe
fresh crystal
@robust vector it was a large pack of generic materials. My guess is they ripped the textures from somewhere.
delicate dove
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/312541/Epic_planning_audit_to_combat_copyright_infringement_on_Unreal_Marketplace.php oh god, now im on gamasutra as well
zealous ibex
O.o
with one user tweeting that
``` You're famous now @delicate dove ๐"With wait times in a better place now
``` ๐ค
real dust
Was about to say
revealing it has recently acquired "additional resources"
Well, might wanna put those actual good use then
delicate dove
there goes my chance on an epic devgrant :p
real dust
I'd think that those are separate teams ;3
modern perch
Why were these approved?
https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/asphalt-world-aligned-materials & https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/optimized-asphalt-materials
or https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/optimized-plaster-world-aligned-materials & https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/plaster-materials
They're clearly the same materials, exact same textures, just with one using the world aligned texture node and the other not (which only needs to be a parameter)?
also I'm incredibly wary of a pack that says there's a separate license for the textures, but doesn't tell you what that license is prior to purchase
there's several of them :/
https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/brick-world-aligned-materials is the same set as https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/brick-smart-material-instances-showcase-package is the same set as https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/optimized-brick-world-aligned-materials edit: is also the same as https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/world-aligned-brick-series-smart-master-materials-mark, presumably?
real dust
Are you even allowed to have a custom license on marketplace assets? ;-;
delicate dove
after a thorrough discussion with mp team, they decided its fine.
real dust
What, those 'duplicates', basically?
real dust
That's the same pack, except one has a single extra node in the parent material
delicate dove
they all start at 5 stars
real dust
How about
I go release five material packs
They all do the exact same thing
But ya know, instead of one powerful master with some switches
delicate dove
i prefer you submitting a few thousand of the same thing, just so they get swamped and remove that allowance
i also hate this word: master material blueprints
real dust
I just make five separate masters with their own feature
zealous ibex
@delicate dove
Luos - Yoeri Vleer - Today at 12:54 PM
after a thorrough discussion with mp team, they decided its fine.
``` Wait....since when? So now I could potentially be buying an asset and later find out I need to credit them when I release my game? ๐คnot disclosing the license prior to purchase is not okay
I mean, I need to know what I'm agreeing to before I agree to it
zealous ibex
^ What I'm thinking, it's in the project there
modern perch
that's not optional FYI, in the EU as an example, that's enshrined in law
delicate dove
@zealous ibex i meant the publishing of identical packages with just one node change in material etc
real dust
^
We should probably also check that license thing with the marketplace team
Muh feels
They should just let us do the marketplace QA
I'd say we're doing a better job at it than their QA team
zealous ibex
Ah, got it @delicate dove ๐
lone mountain
Yeah
I don't mind credtiing people at all in games
But, I guess what I don't like or want to do
Is stick licenses in my packages
The number one reason?
I'll forget...
So if there's a license that doesn't force you to put them in your final builds, please use that one
I'll credit you in game just fine
Which is actually the issues I am running into with @fading bear plugin atm
The last thing I want to do (or add to my list of a million other things I need to remember to do) is remember to put whoever's licenses in before uploading onto Steam.
If there were a way for that to get included during packaging on Epic's or the Plugin's part...that would be most ideal for the most forgetful of devs
robust vector
I want my products to be on sale forever
zealous ibex
Not that I mind crediting - but that was just an example
Just emagine getting an asset that's licensed as something a bit like GPL, but modified to make it work with the engine, but still require you to open source your game ๐
And yeah - no sales after a huge sale event sucks @robust vector ๐
robust vector
No sales?
You misunderstand, sir
I'm making more in my own sale than I ever did in the event sales
I might even be able to save up enough to get a cavity filled
zealous ibex
Ah - I was thinking you was reffering to the sales dip after an event sale. nvm. But yeah - I kind of wish there wasn't the 60 (or whatever it was) day limit + the cooldowns ๐ค
robust vector
Yeah, those suck
If you aren't featured or on sale, you're lucky to move one unit a day
zealous ibex
I got first & second page with a few of my assets, and didn't get features...yet still got more sales than I'd usually get, so I'm had a pretty good sale, but I guess if you're burried in there somewhere you can have that ๐ Sucks man ๐ฆ
robust vector
Holiday sale was more than normal, but not quite phenominal
Ugh. Its a month cool-down for a two week sale
pseudo sundial
i'm guessing it was a good idea to put things on sale right after the holiday sale. there isn't much on the On Sale page now so you should be getting good views
robust vector
It would be nice if sales were scheduled through the seller portal
Had a nice excel-sheet kind of thing where I could check what and when was scheduled
60 day limit sucks as much as the cool down
It kinda just encourages people to reupload the same thing with minor tweaks to have multiple copies of the asset that they can stagger sales on.
undone locust
and my dumbass is on the wrong channel
fringe radish
Anyone Selling models with Blend shapes
robust vector
*Morph targets
fringe radish
Yah
robust vector
I don't think I've bought anything that used them, and I haven't used them in my products so far. Do you want something with them for an example or do have something specific in mind?
delicate dove
lone mountain
I'm sure after that $10k thing recently
they were like...let's make that a priority...
lucid horizon
@fringe radish I think the character creator uses them
delicate dove
oh god, one of those people
https://i.gyazo.com/a41e002a5e63b23d781ab0a54e9b7b55.png
lone mountain
hmm
Sadly I do agree with him to a certain point
In an ideal world it would be nice if everyone were able to create their own assets
But this is not an ideal world
In the real world, you gotta do what you gotta do to create the game you want
crisp rapids
I love standardization. If only standards were applicable for art.
That is to say, if you can buy the same art as you'd be making, the time saved is worth the pointless moral dilemma. Sadly, art is so broad and beyond standardization that there's really no telling what people will buy or how it will serve them.
lone mountain
Ask PUBG
robust vector
When it comes to models of existing real-world objects, what possible practical reason would there be for somebody to create their own asset when a stock asset exists with sufficient quality?
lone mountain
I could think of a lot of reasons
But no point in debating this
Everyone will have a different opinion on the matter
ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
robust vector
I'm not debating, I'm genuinely curious
I wouldn't use T-Pose Zombie 01 because it can be recognized by anyone now due to overuse, but why redo something made on assembly lines, like an AK-47?
elfin plinth
guns aren't exactly hard to model tho
crisp rapids
Not all games are photorealistic, and no games can achieve true photorealism. Therefore, existing photogrammetric objects are, to a certain degree, stylized. If they don't fit the style of a game, using them is ... (I get to use this word, yay) contraindicated.
robust vector
Keep getting positive feedback from people that don't leave ratings. Then somebody 1 Stars the character without leaving feedback. ๐
Unless it was the person complaining because the character wasn't 4.16, even though its clearly labeled as 4.17 to 4.18
outer cobalt
Is there any way to select text in UE4's marketplace? Seems like a pain for accessing urls in descriptions
mental aspen
@kinggambit#9364 I usually just view it on the website https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace
robust vector
Should I have received an email about it or is it just turned on by default now?
zealous ibex
You should have? Checked your marketing/spam folder?
Also, great end of your post @delicate dove ๐ฎ
real dust
Huh
Yet another reason to not bother with selling on the marketplace
Screw 2FA
(I'm one of those people that doesn't have their phone on them 90% of the time)
ebon leaf
2FA doesn't automatically mean phone... just so you know. In fact, in this case, they are using emails.
real dust
Oh, really?
ebon leaf
And given we have recently seen people have fraudulent purchases made worth over USD $2k... better security is definitely welcome IMO lol, although I don't think this has anythign to do with those transactions.
real dust
Well yeah, just don't see why it's a standard thing for sellers
Because that's just a hassle
Actually
ebon leaf
Presumably because they want to stop people from being able to access seller accounts and do things like change bank details, email addresses, product prices, etc. Nothing like that has happened, to my knowledge, but the marketplace security going up is a great move IMO.
real dust
Is it mandatory? Just reread, I don't think it is
It's just on by default, but you can still disable it
ebon leaf
Probably can yah.
real dust
If that's it, I rest my case
ebon leaf
Given it's epic, we likely won't know much at all until its done lol
Surprised we got THIS much of a heads up tbh lol
This sounds like, yes, you can disable it when it is implemented
delicate dove
ebon leaf
Your twitter avatar needed a Santa hat before you posted that
delicate dove
ooh good idea for next year I guess
delicate dove
elfin plinth
@delicate dove I'm pretty broke too, can I have your packs? ๐
oh wait I already have them :p well, besides the cave thing
delicate dove
hehe, i was afraid that might happen :p
north stirrup
"He could have pirated it" -> Is that really a thing? I know that there are torrents for unity assets, but never saw any for UE assets
elfin plinth
I'd be surprized if most UE4 marketplace assets couldn't be found online somewhere
more reasons to supports the sellers as some people don't care at all how they get those assets
delicate dove
just dont discuss em here, and if you find anything you should at least email the url to piracy@unrealengine.com
robust vector
Can anyone here tell me what the subject line of the 2FA email is?
delicate dove
ACTION NEEDED: Security update for Unreal Engine Marketplace
robust vector
It would be nice if they didn't go out of their way to make their emails look like spam
fleet garnet
I was like "This email looks fishy, is that Epic?" at first
robust vector
At least I actually got this one
Still no answer to how long I'm locked out of featuring.
ebon leaf
They said they will be sending out a email for a new round of featured content in the last week of Jan
lilac heath
Is the market place still accepting weapon assets?
wooden falcon
as far as I know they are...they're just being extra cautious
lilac heath
Cool that would make science, so as long as intellectual property and copyright are not infringed ,
Thanks
robust vector
I'm 90% sure everyone is overreacting to/misrepresenting their comments on copyright
I mean, they stated the the policy wasn't changing. It just looks like one reviewer didn't quite understand the policy itself and sparked a big hoopla on the forums.
Its definitely worrying that Unreal Josh thinks that the silhouette of a gun is copyrighted, but I can't imagine Epic wanting UE4 to be the only engine that doesn't have weapon models available.
tame wasp
I have a suggestion for a new marketplace asset. Basically a dynamic volume system that uses tags. The volumes could be used inside buildings or to define areas of land. Characters based on their tag can capture, destroy, neutralise volumes once they enter the volume.These volumes could also effect each other based on proximity and other factors.
One example would be to have a volume added to an antenna, if enemy AI enters the volume the antena is made neutral and then captured. I think it's a relatively simple system but with lots of potential game uses especially with existing AI templates.
Just throwing this idea out there. ๐
nova scaffold
someone managed to submit Tracked Vehicles on MarketPlace:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHdfhgCHvL4&feature=youtu.be
that's amazing
unfortunately no pull request to bring changes back into projects so others can benefit too
nova scaffold
there was a guy who was re-implemeting MMT in BP, could be him too
elfin plinth
atm it seems like marketplace is flooded with either bp projects or c++ plugins
@nova scaffold did you mention that he can't fix the physics step issue on BPs? ๐
still funny that he hasn't changed your HUD from marketplace submission
I mean, it's one thing to use MIT licensed content as part of the submission but even reuse the HUD is pretty lazy
nova scaffold
I don't know if I ever talked to him, I've spotted that MP pack by accident, when clicked on his name instead of PM on the forums
elfin plinth
to others here for the reference, here's Bored's tank projects UI (image from the forums):
it's pretty clear where the tank physics are from
so tempted to go there asking how he fixed the low fps issue with blueprints ๐
it would be amazing if marketplace rules actually forced the sellers to disclose the origin of content they haven't made themselves
but then again, people would abuse it still
because
delicate dove
hmm interesting
nova scaffold
What sucks is that there was a user who wanted to put some ww2 vehicle models on MP, but they refused to accept only models
real dust
As in, untextured etc?
real dust
'-'
My god
Like I said
Epic should let us do their QA - it'd end up being better
I don't know what they're doing, but they shouldn't be paying people for what's happening there
Because it's a goddamn disaster
Or ya know, they can just fix their QA, but that plan doesn't seem to be working that well for them
nova scaffold
like if you are making some game and you need cars, just static meshes to place around, you can't buy those from MP, you can get only those which use vehicle component...
real dust
Besides, maybe I'm using cars in my game that use custom logic instead of the vehicle component
Because there's plenty of issues with their integrated stuff
nova scaffold
maybe I could make a newer clearen version of MMT and put on MP for free, but then again, MP doesn't want to bother with free assets and won't allow people to submit pack which depend on it
exactly
silver moat
What's the current window for package review?
robust vector
"Free assets don't generate revenue to cover marketplace maintenance" Is probably what they would say
elfin plinth
well, they do accept free code plugins
just no free BP stuff
@nova scaffold I'm now actually genuinely interested if they've honored your license and shipped the project with MIT license text
I mean, it is a violation of the license if they don't
can you even put random txt file with BP marketplace submission?
delicate dove
@silver moat submitted pack end december, gotten an email that its up for the final review in the upcoming 5 workdays
@elfin plinth you can add non-ue4 content, but if that text document states something weird, they might flag it
elfin plinth
@delicate dove I'm just curious if they've tried to clean out traces of Bored's work
and there's no way I'm paying 110โฌ to find out ๐
delicate dove
hmm, why not contact them with your concern?
elfin plinth
his license is clear, it has to ship with this https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BoredEngineer/UE4_Tracked_Vehicles/master/LICENSE
well, I'm not involved in this in any way, just thinking out loud here
delicate dove
still though, its what i'd do
lone mountain
@nova scaffold Put it up for $5
Cheap enough for impulse buy
and at least you'll get a kickback
It's not like you aren't constantly working on it anyway
And will pay for all them beers/coffees/sodas and pizzas
yo
I don't get MIT
I haven't done the research
But, I wanted to include license in my package (I do now anyway) but renamed the LICENSE to the appropriate thing because I can't have a million Licenses with the same name License
Figured it would be good enough
delicate dove
Marketplace Policy on Copyright and Trademark-Protected Content
The discussion is located at:
https://forums.unrealengine.com/node/1409378
does this link work for anybody? I think the thread got deleted O_o
cant find it anywhere on forums either
robust vector
The link doesn't work, but mot links don't work since the forum downgrade
I'm usually not authorized to view threads that I start.
robust vector
Did Epic do any event sales besides Cyber Monday and Holiday Sale last year?
fresh crystal
@robust vector Spring flash sale and Summer Sale at least.
robust vector
Can't wait for, "Your metal tubes have silhouettes too similar to metal tubes. Thus you violate the copyright of the Tuber Makers of America Co."
lunar fractal
Background is also too similar to backgrounds from Generic Cube Backgrounds Inc.
nova scaffold
@lone mountain I could, but local accountant will cost me way more ๐ I wouldnโt be risking my good standing with authorities for this
Itโs just a lesson for a feature
lone mountain
Aye
nova scaffold
This is kind of situation where itโs easier for me to not share it at all
What pisses me of is that when MP team was asked if one can make and sell pack of models, they said no, they have to be functional vehicles. So can I use an open-source MIT project to make them functional? No.
But apparent itโs totally fine to copy someone elseโs code...
robust vector
As a customer I would rather have the vehicle models only and do the implementation myself...
nova scaffold
yeah, can't have that ๐
robust vector
The marketplace is always finding a way to be dumb to counteract any progress they actually make on something
nova scaffold
cause "reasons", I guess they are betting that there are less chances for it to be pirated or moved into another engine
lunar fractal
Unity is easy, the marketplace is way more populated though
nova scaffold
the bright side - someone managed to publish tanks on MP ๐
lunar fractal
Yeah easily searchable, but harder to sell (more competition) ๐
nova scaffold
basically if we want more tanks or N wheeled vehicles, someone needs to make a MIT or public domain project with extended PhysX classes
robust vector
Can't be harder to sell than literally no views on your product
lunar fractal
๐
robust vector
I only have 1 unit sold for my products that aren't on sale so far this month
If you aren't on sale or featured, no views for you
lunar fractal
I'm working on my first asset myself, so didn't know that ๐ฎ
robust vector
Without tags and filters, its way too frustrating to try to search for anything, so 99% of customer just glance at the homepage and the sale page
And I'm pretty shameless with my SEO
Porting to Unity couldn't make me less revenue at least
Its just so frustrating to try to use
lunar fractal
I only have two free assets in the Unity Asset store (scripts), but a nice experience so far and good for my portfolio
delicate dove
rather marketplace related this time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ4sp_OZ_nM
oak fiber
Talent is indeed an asset. An asset most people need.
And the one thing Jim always seems to miss the point on: not everyone can do everything, not everyone has all the money in the world, not everyone has all the time in the world.
Asset stores are a thing because they help foster your idea to life not shackle your creativity.
Or we really saying we can't have anything nice unless somebody spends two years and millions of dollars on it? Lel. Tarded.
delicate dove
gotta agree with that
sudden mason
I don't think the word Talent should be used in the vicinity of Jim Sterling. It might taint the word...
Either way, Talent as a concept is flawed. People may have an affinity for certain things, but talent indicates that it's effortless. People who are good at something are good because they have worked at it. Some people might get good quicker but that's not what talent is.
nova scaffold
yeah, another misused word
I'm really puzzled by some of his videos - he looks at bunch of really bad made games, then for some reason decides that it's all because they used assets packs, now he sort of "apologizes" for that?
So now it's about devs having "talent" but then, from what he says in video, is just an ability to do your work...
since when the ability for level designer to do level design is a "talent"? ๐
maybe what separates those games is that one are made by professionals, like people with training and other are not? that's too hard to grasp
elfin plinth
actually
I think proper level designing is a skill
that's what differentiates many indie games from each others
like, I probably have most racing games on steam besides these low effort UE4 advanced vehicle template projects
and there's a clear difference in the games that have had skilled level designer and with ones that just slapped assets there with an idea to assemble some track
latter just feel like wasted opportunity when they clearly have decent assets but are unable to put them together properly
(I may have missed the point here)
nova scaffold
I donโt think there was a clear point in his video to be honest. The simplest explanation I have is that he remembered/found old song, with words โtalent is an assetโ so just refers to skill as talent.
robust vector
Good level design is really hard to do for certain game-types, definitely more acquired than innate.
For a multiplayer FPS, sure you can categorize most maps into a few templates, but no so for a Metroid-like or an Arkham City style game
robust vector
Your textures weren't flagged for having the same silhouette as one of the products in Basic Shapes Incorporated's line of Quircky Quadrilaterals?
Well, that's good. Lets hope they don't apply that copyright nonsense to any category outside of weapons.
zealous ibex
I wouldn't call it copyright nonsense, but I get your frustration ๐ฆ
robust vector
The idea that the general look of the silhouette of a physical product has copyright that extends into fictional works is nonsense
Especially in cases when real world competitors produce their own physical products with similar silhouettes as was demonstrated in that thread.
shadow inlet
I'd like to clarify that went Josh was referencing a silhouette, he meant that you couldn't take a branded item and simply remove the logo and expect it to be approved, not literally the silhouette of any item.
delicate dove
yea, the silhouette thing gotten a bit out of hand. apologies for that (again)
robust vector
@shadow inlet Thanks for that clarification. In the thread, it sounds very much like he means literal silhouettes, including resemblances that aren't necessarily matches.
shadow inlet
Of course - should've probably cleared that up sooner.
robust vector
@shadow inlet You should probably clarify that in the thread and also explain to the guy what parts of his weapon model were specifically found to be in copyright violation.
robust vector
I have so many half finished projects and no ability to focus atm
real dust
Decided to make use one of my projects as subject for a research paper thing for school
That deadline's a pretty good drive for getting shit done
It's turning into a pretty solid system, which is cool since it's been on my to-do list for over half a year now, probabluy
(Well, not so much 'to-do'... Rather, 'this'd be cool to do sometime' - great to get around to it)
oak thistle
@robust vector Sounds like my permanent state...
So I haven't been following for a while, but just saw this on my Twitter stream: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/menus
Stuff like this passing curation just a regular occurrence?
robust vector
Whats wrong with it?
oak thistle
It's a few stock UMG buttons hooked up to a couple of existing engine nodes.
And that constitutes adding value to the marketplace?
robust vector
Isn't that pretty much every menu pack?
oak thistle
From what I've seen, most of them concentrate on adding some attempt at a visual style.
But honestly I don;t know, maybe it is basically the same as others on there. Regardless, I don't think something so vacuous should come close to being accepted.
robust vector
There's a lot of content that's worse on there
oak thistle
You're probably right. But there can't be much that is more lacking in value. A lot of stuff is no doubt bad quality but in some way subjective. When you just hook up a button to a node, that's pretty objectively adding basically nothing to the engine.
sleek crypt
@delicate dove I found 3 GLARING bugs with your recent pack release:
- I hate the font you're using for the icon -_-
- The product summary starts with a lowercase "a" and the product description starts with a lowercase "L", are you trying to kill all the OCD people out here??
- You didn't buy 4 times and 5-star five times your own product, fix it!
lunar fractal
Wow, major bugs! Cannot believe it got accepts...Epic got low standards 
sleek crypt
I know right!?
lunar fractal
He better not ask money for it ๐
robust vector
You don't have to buy your own product
Now... if you want to get 5 5star ratings, you will need 4 other accounts and to buy it 4 times, but your first 5star is free
sleek crypt
Sorry, I'll fix it!
lunar fractal
xD
lone mountain
rofl, wtf
delicate dove
hehe wtf indeed. but i'll fix the caputals stuff.
i love the font though :p
sleek crypt
I'll ask the Marketplace reps to ban that font from future and past submissions!!!
delicate dove
hehe
robust vector
I'll make a time machine and stop the font from being invented, but since we obviously have experienced the font existing, it means we can't actually change our own past, it will simply branch a new timeline with the alterations
zealous ibex
I shouldn't be saying this - as I own an asset with a kind of generic name too - but wasn't there once a rule about not too generic naming? No offense intended against the author - but Menus is about as generic as it gets
wooden falcon
lol
maybe he's branding the word...like Windows
that is a beautiful looking pack: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/coal-mine-and-industrial-kitbash-set
zealous ibex
That looks so cool, especially considering how optimized it seems to be
(Reading the description / looking at the way he's crafted the awesome geometry)
wooden falcon
here's a pack that just popped up on the featured list:
Isn't the uzi owned by some Israeli company?
modern perch
yes
however, it's like the AK-47 - it's been sublicensed so many times it's basically ubiquitous
also, that isn't an uzi anyway
this is an uzi:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Uzi_of_the_israeli_armed_forces.jpg
and the mini variant you're probably more used to seeing:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Uzi_2.jpg
sleek crypt
Is anyone going to do anything about the flood of hand painted texture volumes, browsing the new releases is getting irritating.... or maybe it's just me
modern perch
I've given up on the marketplace now - recent material packs submissions, where the same materials are uploaded 4 times with slightly different material networks, stuff copied from freebies on the forums / Youtube etc
I'm just done
delicate dove
and sadly I hear that more and more
wooden falcon
he uses the word "Uzi" in his descriptions ๐
rustic siren
woot got my next pack released 
wooden falcon
looks neat
delicate dove
+1
zealous ibex
Congrats @rustic siren ๐
(Some stuff blanked out as it's an unannounced pack, but if a user would need to set up a webserver to use an asset (for a released game), would a form like this be useful? (that way you don't need to worry about using configuration files, but you can easily use a GUI for it)
wooden falcon
has anyone calculated the probability of being featured? I was terrible at probability in college, and have completely forgotten how
we know there are 9 slots, and a pool of 150, rotated every 30 minutes for 1 week
not sure if there's weighting towards new packs or not
I guess for any particular turn around, your probability of getting a slot is just 9/150, no? (of course, probably not, since as each slot is filled, your chances go up to get the next slot)
robust vector
I'm pretty sure it was meant that it rotates through a set of 9 every 30 minutes, not that it pulls 9 at random
wooden falcon
I've seen some pop up multiple times, sometimes back to back
or do the new ones get a set number of slots?
elfin plinth
heh, now I got a corrected receipt that didn't mention VAT at all but still has the same euro amount ๐
I'd be surprised if it weren't UE4 marketplace
so, Epic is just charging 24% extra now if you don't have to pay VAT? ๐
this is absurd
the whole point in VAT is additional tax for consumers, not that you can charge the same from a company if it's not applicable to VAT
elfin plinth
I got invoice for the same euro amount as regular customer who pays VAT here, just with no mention there is VAT in the price
and receipt has my VAT id, so technically invoice is suggesting it's b2b with 0% VAT now
modern perch
errr
elfin plinth
how I see it, unless they refund me the extra VAT later (they haven't done that so far), they are just charging more from the companies
modern perch
I'm not sure that's legal?
elfin plinth
it's not
but will see their response, again
I have a feeling this will be one of those months long email chains
but all the other things I've seen here so far, I'd be more surprized if they actually got something right on the first time
sorry Epic, but it's not been a great experience
also, I can't be the first one wondering this
modern perch
aye
elfin plinth
only thing I wanted them to do is to list the bloody VAT amount in the original receipt, now they just wiped the text that suggested there would be some ๐
what makes it even more silly, even if they refund it, most of the refund will go all to my bank as there's pretty hefty transaction fees if I receive money from abroad. I'd rather have them either to never charge the VAT in the first place or if they do, list the exact VAT amount charge. should be simple
modern perch
they should list the VAT charge alongside each purchase
this is a requirement because VAT varies across state boundaries
in your case, it should be showing it for whatever the rate is for your country
I mean, it's not optional, VAT needs to be listed with each purchase
elfin plinth
yes, that's what I've been asking them for
and instead, they just wiped the info of possible VAT in purchase ๐
what makes this even more shady is that every EU country has same price for each marketplace item
and every seller gets same amount of money from their assets sold regardless to what country they sold
I did check the dollar vs euro price difference
and it actually matches with the VAT we have here, they just charge more extra for countries that have lower VAT in EU
meaning, if you have 20% VAT, no biggie, you still pay as much as you'd pay with 24% VAT
also, I guess this is common
(that you have same list price in the EU)
but math still doesn't add up
if seller doesn't get more profits from low VAT countries but Epic does, it's not exactly 70-30
also, not giving the sellers the invoice ID's is sketchy as hell
I'm not talking about any other details, just IDs
modern perch
yeah, that's also an issue as some states will require that information should a company be audited
elfin plinth
I'd expect these kinds of issues from a company that is starting business in EU countries, but UE4 marketplace has been here since 2014
and it's still at this state
it's no wonder that some people just ditch the business with them (asset makers)
modern perch
Epic has multiple offices in the EU, so it's not like they don't have people who know how this works
elfin plinth
I personally would love to produce some things for the marketplace but not as long as it's in this state
modern perch
ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
sudden mason
Yep, I have a pack pretty much ready to go, but I don't want any of the trouble that comes with using the marketplace so I'm just sitting on it
elfin plinth
tempted to do the full math how much asset sellers are losing over this
but it's actually impossible to calculate as we don't know if Epic even pays the VAT right
they are trying really hard to hide the VAT amounts at least
sleek crypt
I don't know if this answers your questions, but since I consulted my business accountant about it recently I may be able to shed some light on what's going on when you make a sale through one of these global marketplaces (amazon, google play store, ue marketplace, and so on).
Let's say you want to sell your "item" for 20$ on the store, this is what happens:
- an user buys your "item", the user pays to the store the "item" price + his local taxes (eg. if you sell your asset to me I'm paying 24.4$ for it)
- the store is responsible for collecting the taxes and later handle them to the buyer's state
- the store takes his share from the sale (arbitrarily after or before applying taxation)
- what you receive is the final price (24.4 in my case) minus buyer's taxes (4.4 in my case) minus the store share.
This is because this global marketplaces now have to pay taxes directly were the sale happened, and in doing so they're freeing you from a lot of headaches managing taxation all over the world (and possibly double taxation)
So if in our example Epic is sending you 20$ minus epic's share then it's all working as intended, if they're sending you 20$ - taxes (yours or buyers) - their share, then they're doing it wrong.
zealous ibex
What they're doing right now is doing $20 - their share, the issue is about the local prices. The $24.4 pricing appears to be the same in all countries - no matter whether they pay 20% VAT, or 24% VAT. This means that Epic is somehow making up for, or keeping the difference, as we always get $20 - epic's share.
Example:
My ConfigBP asset is $4.99
I pay โฌ5.39 for that, which is about $6.47
I pay 21% VAT, so 1.21*4.99=6.0379. Even if we'd round that to the nearest 5cts, that'd be $6.05
So whta I believe the issue here is - what is happening with that remaing $0.40-$0.45?
($.0379 -> โฌ5.03309326, so even rounded up that's โฌ5.04, still about โฌ0.35 less than what they're asking)
Atleast....I think this is what he's reffering to - the main issue he was facing at first is not getting a proper invoice so he could properly declare his VAT if I'm not mistaken
(And I could be wrong - but a fluctuating exchange rate wouldn't form such a huge difference on something as little as $4.99 I don't think)
sleek crypt
- For what matters you as the seller, nothing changes for you, you have to receive "your asking price" - "their share" and that's what you're getting.
- If the fixed taxation was the case then that's more of an issue for the buyer who's paying more than it should, and epic being greedy and making extra money on your assets.
zealous ibex
I'm not sure what happens - but I'm pretty sure 0lento is a buyer, and that's the issue he's currently facing. I'm just giving my perspective as an EU buyer. But I agree - this doesn't change a lot for me as a seller, so I'm not really worried about it from that side
(Well - other than possibly loosing a few sales because the EU price appears to be higher than would generally be expected, but I don't think that'd really be a huge thing)
sleek crypt
Well we can check, if you're in Europe let's see if the prices we're getting are different (I'm in Italy so if you're not in Ireland we should see different prices)
vague wren
and now i need some hwlp
sleek crypt
What price are you seeing for this asset? https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/rome-fantasy-pack-i
delicate dove
91.80 euro > dutch
nova scaffold
โฌ91.80 - Switzerland, we have a lowest VAT in Europe ๐
sleek crypt
Well there's a 1% difference between our state's VAT, I'm seeing 91.80 too. It looks like Epic is charging an average amount for the EU countries (22%)
vague wren
$84.99
delicate dove
while their payment stuff office in europe is actually in switzerland
sleek crypt
So:
proper heath
As a question to others here, would it be a good turn in profit to take time to develop marketplace sets? Asking for those whom have experience in doing so, how much money is usually made off a set assuming the quality is at least decent and useable
delicate dove
depends on the kind of asset, how niche it is, how well you do marketing, and more variables
nova scaffold
it depends a lot on your costs as well
vague wren
yeah
lunar fractal
Yeah, also a good turn from what your currently doing? What is your focus etc?
nova scaffold
In Eastern Europe, 10 sales with 50$ profit on each, a month, can provide you with average salary. In Sweeden/Norway/Switzerland/Denmark, you need to make 5-7 sales a day ๐
sleek crypt
- as a seller you shouldn't care*
- as a buyer you should care, cause if you're in one of the 17 countries with a VAT lower than 22% you're paying more than you should
- as the buyer's state you should care cause Epic is not using the proper taxation*
*this can also probably be caused by an agreement between epic's sales department and EU where they just charge a fixed rate and have less headaches when managing taxation.
- Should this not be the case then weird stuff could happen where either the buyer's state will have to refund you the overtaxation (but to Epic really since they legally replace you in collecting the taxes) or you (again, Epic) have to compensate the buyer's state for the partial taxation (if you're in one of the 9 countries where VAT is higher than 22%.
I think this is a win-win situation for Epic, and you as the seller should just ignore it... if you're the buyer in one of the 17 countries with a lower VAT you should be pissed off.
nova scaffold
conceptually we are pissed as invoice doesn't say how much VAT you payed
just an over-payment for physical person, but potential legal problem for business
at which point it's easier to just contact seller directly and do a purchase by pay-pal, with all documents properly stated
I see that Steam is doing the same now but you don't really buy games for B2B all that much
but they do have software too
sleek crypt
Yes the buyer , in any case, gets the shortest straw here
lunar fractal
I also had a questoin. I'm currently working on my first asset, and was wonder which version control you guys would recommond (Git(Hub), Git(BitBucket), Perforce, etc) ? And maybe a good system to handle feature request/user feedback. Love to combine the two ๐
sleek crypt
I find Github to be incredibly user-friendly for the developer and the final user
(you can combine both in Github)
nova scaffold
GIT is fine if you don't have too many binaries, with P4 no idea how would you get a public issue tracking with it
lunar fractal
I use GitHub myself for my open-source project, thinking about BitBucket (free but private source)
nova scaffold
so tracking is public but code is closed?
sleek crypt
I think you get 1 private repository on Github even if you're free
nova scaffold
you can do the same with github, just two different project, one private for clients and one public for tracking
sleek crypt
But I'm using my workplace business account now and can't check
nova scaffold
not sure, I had to pay for private repo, but maybe they have like trials and etc
lunar fractal
I also have to pay for private repo. But splitting it up might be a nice idea. Public tracking on GitHub with GitHub page as website (big fan) and BitBucket or GitLab for code
Thanks ๐
nova scaffold
that would be even cheaper, good idea!
lunar fractal
It's my Dutch genes ๐
elfin plinth
91.80โฌ here in finland (we have 24% VAT here)
@sleek crypt
also steam is different (from sellers point of view) as while you can set the prices in zones/currency, you still get to see the real figures when people buy your stuff regardless what the real taxation is (meaning we do get the real cut based on the target country, not fixed fee per asset what Epic offers to sellers)
Epic hides that
so, they are essentially getting bigger cut than 30% for most EU countries and expect sellers to be fine with it
if I were selling, I'd be bit annoyed by that
but as buyer, I'm now mainly annoyed that they can't put the VAT in the receipt properly ๐
delicate dove
oh god more dutchies. RUUUUN
elfin plinth
also, to fix some math, โฌ91.80 is 110.13 USD at current rate, US price for that asset is $84.99 (which is 70.85โฌ)
this mean's if the extra were VAT only, it would have to be 30% VAT, not 22% like suggested here
(remember that VAT is added, not part of the price)
so if you sell a item into country where VAT is 7% and epic still charges that 91.80โฌ, the EU zone extra is 20.95 โฌ, where actual VAT is only 6.01โฌ
actual seller gets $85 * 0.7 from the item = $59.5 = 49.6โฌ
and epic gets 91.80โฌ - 6.01โฌ - 49.6โฌ = 36.19โฌ
49.6 / 36.19 doesn't sound like 70 / 30 to me
it's actually 57.8% to the seller and 42.2% to Epic
just something to think about when you claim this doesn't affect sellers ๐
wooden falcon
what's going on over here...oh lawd
lunar fractal
Ow god another Dutchman, and more powerfull... I'll have to find another server then
elfin plinth
fixed small rounding errors on the figures, didn't change the results
lunar fractal
Epic boss fight music playing Cannot fast travel when enemies around ๐
elfin plinth
@wooden falcon just trying to say that Epics 30% share isn't actually 30% in EU
I haven't signed the sellers agreement so I don't know if they actually write 30% there
wooden falcon
has anyone asked amanda?
elfin plinth
tbh, it's not her job to fix this mess ๐
zealous ibex
@GracesGames#7398 First of all, welcome to the marketplace world ๐ Hope your asset will do well when you finish/publish it ๐ Secondly, I'd agree with host people that git is probably your best bet for keeping your code. Using BitBucket should give you (at least) one free repo, but you don't have to have a remote (like GitHub/BitBucket) to use git. If you're mainly working with blueprints/art assets Perforce may be worth considering too, and you'll most likely be able to use the free license (which is for up to 5 users). As for issue tracking, I'd suppose the github tracking some others suggest could actually work quite well. For my stuff I'm mainly using the forum & comment section (if only we'd get notifications ๐ญ ) as those are the places people look, as well as email support. I'm working on a custom issue tracker tailored towards my own assets though, but that probably isn't worth it for most.
@elfin plinth If I'm not mistaken they can sell it for another price too according to the agreement - don't quote me on that though
wooden falcon
wish we could see number of views per day on our product pages
I have no idea whether anyone even looks at my packs (I know they don't buy them)
zealous ibex
๐ฆ Bummer, and yeah - that'd be great to have
robust vector
I like how Epic has been saying they are a Swiss company, rather than saying they are a US company that stuck a branch in Switzerland to avoid paying taxes
Stay classy, Epic
ebon leaf
link me your favorite art packs on marketplace
@robust vector they are also registered in my state as a company
but they do business in georgia
the company was actually originally founded 20 mins form my house lol
also, bethesda is near my house too
Haha
wooden falcon
goes to new releases, sees a pack with Vol. 30 in it, dies
now, because of the lack of filters, I will never sale another one of my mat packs again
sell even
needs to be subcategories
actually, nvm...on looking, all of those 30 volumes that guy dumped got put in Textures, not Materials
zealous ibex
๐ฆ
I mean - nothing against these assets, but it really does ruin exposure.
I should start doing volumed code plugin releases ๐ค One node per plugin - that'd make for up to 30-40+ assets per plugin, so a ton more exposure ๐
ebon leaf
@zealous ibex https://i.imgur.com/so25Fdj.png
i have a problem with this
get it off my screen
zealous ibex
36....now this is getting out of hand lol
fleet garnet
I will release 10 vehicle plugins, one for each wheel and one for each engine component
ebon leaf
๐
elfin plinth
ok
I'm now at point where I'm not sure if Epics support really understands the issue at all
all I'm asking for them to either state how much VAT is in the purchase (put it into invoice) or refund the VAT amount if it's not included like their latest invoice suggests
I wonder if there's some language barrier because I don't think they understand at all what I'm asking from them
lunar fractal
@zealous ibex Thanks for the advice! I'll look into it. I notice with my Unity Assets that I hardly get e-mails. GitHub has been decent so far, but requires a GitHub account ofc (aka programmer usually)
lunar fractal
Metal is heavy ๐
supple moon
lol
elfin plinth
yeah, let's waste all the ram from pool into few metal pieces ๐
supple moon
I mean it's a cheap good timesaver, however entireley unusable because the creator has used 4k maps for everything, and every color variant has it's own set of 4k normal / AO / RMA / BC
robust vector
Why wouldn't they be 4K?
oak fiber
cause you dont need 4k for a scratch mask?
supple moon
well it's rusty beams, when I get time I'll fix them up with 1k tiling textures using a mask
oak fiber
๐คท๐พ
supple moon
material layers etc
robust vector
I mean, there's no way for somebody making stock assets to know what your target hardware and project needs are
Generally you provide the highest resolution versions of the maps and the customer can downsize them
supple moon
if your target hardware is anything real time you'd do that
having each individual piece of modular framework having a full set of 4k textures is not good for anything is all, like I said good cheap handy asset just needs to be set up properly
oak fiber
or you provide a set of maps at 4k, 2k, 1k, so the client doesnt have to waste time in conversion to achive the same look/result.
๐คท๐พ
robust vector
Then your package is twice the size and people complain about the bandwidth you wasted
supple moon
if you use tiling textures and masks it would be way way smaller
robust vector
For that particular asset, yeah
But the problem isn't the texture sizes, its that its set up poorly in general
oak fiber
that's why you release it as 3 products given the stupid MP UE has.
robust vector
Metal Beams Vol. 8
supple moon
lol
oak fiber
which seems to be what some people do, to the tune of a lot of others bitching that its just a res switch, etc...
robust vector
I-Beams part III
oak fiber
technically, that IS what you get in archvis/highend cg models: various levels of detail, modelling AND textures.
but, this is UE, so....
e.g.
robust vector
As a customer, I wouldn't want to spend bandwidth on the same textures, I would much rather download the highest once and then change the size to my needs. So to avoid that, you would be asking the MP team to allow customers to select from multiple versions of the download and we don't even have tags yet....
oak fiber
you say yet like it hasnt been 3 years
robust vector
*And we won't even have tags ever
oak fiber
most likely
zealous ibex
Hm....I was considering releasing an asset today - but I think I'll wait another thing with that mass texture dump + the sales picking up real slow ๐ค
modern perch
you mean you don't want to get buried under 30 volumes of hand painted textures?
fleet garnet
lol
there will probably be 36 more next month
sales are also really bad this month
wooden falcon
you sure you want to wait until Vol 397 is released HowToCompute? ๐
nova scaffold
with so much content he should open his own MP ๐
that is madness, but it's all according to rules
modern perch
madness is the same materials pack uploaded four times with subtly different node graphs
wooden falcon
it's a Unity dump I think
more power to the guy...I just wish he has spread them out a bit
has=had
zealous ibex
@wooden falcon I know I keep procrastinating my releases ๐ค
sleek crypt
Excerpt from the Cambridge British dictionary:
this is getting out of hand
[รฐษชs ษชz หgษtษชล aสt ษv hรฆnd]
exclamation
- the act of letting your internet store get overrun by copy&paste of similar assets over and over again ruining the experience for everyone.
zealous ibex
๐
wooden falcon
Imagine the poor MP guy who has to download all of those and check them
zealous ibex
Poor, poor fellow
tiny heron
fleet garnet
youtube
robust vector
Probably not. The silhouette of the video is the same rectangle shape as Logan Paul's stuff so it will get copyright takedown
wooden falcon
I refresh every 30 minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse of my pack...never...though I have seen the same pack around 3 times now
robust vector
Hmm
I guess it needs to be random because if it was a set rotation people would complain about getting hours where very few users were online...
But I don't trust Epic to competently program a random shuffle
kind viper
Anyone know of some carnival asset packs, or anyone working on them? Abandoned preferred but I can re texture clean ones
wooden falcon
I've thought about it (after playing The Park), but I haven't seen any on the MP
robust vector
Any recommendations for best mp pack as an example of ocean shoreline?
modern perch
I don't know if any of them are any good
the free ocean plugin seems to have a decent starting point?
robust vector
Maybe
I'm interested in how other people handle "ocean suds" and blending where the water meets the sand
modern perch
depth mask or distance fields, probably
real dust
I'll show you how I approach that in a bit
robust vector
I know how to set up the blend using depth, but when it comes to knowing what the textures should look like for it to look nice when it comes together, I'm lost ๐
real dust
Been ages, sorta forgot how I did it
Use it as alpha on a lerp between normal water and a foam texture
robust vector
Seems like a pretty reasonable place to start
modern perch
Epic's ocean material actually has some pretty decent wave foam that might be worth looking at
robust vector
From the Water Planes?
modern perch
yeah, I think it was in the water planes
silver moat
I think people should be required by Epic to leave a bit of feedback text for their rating to appear.
I have no idea why I got a 2 star rating and nobody has complained anywhere for me to address.
sleek crypt
Yeah I saw that and wondered the same
sleek crypt
Why would anyone 2 star a 108โฌ pack and not even leave a complain, maybe he was busy asking for a refund, but 2 star? Did you eat his babies?
Love the looks of your high grass 2.0 though @silver moat
robust vector
Yeah, I have a character that the only rating is a 1-star but no complaints or refund requests
silver moat
wooden falcon
is it the only rating?
wooden falcon
if I were you, I'd just 5 star it myself, to offset the 2 star....no use letting that 2 star hurt your sales
zealous ibex
@silver moat
Alireza - Today at 3:38 PM
I think people should be required by Epic to leave a bit of feedback text for their rating to appear.
I have no idea why I got a 2 star rating and nobody has complained anywhere for me to address.
``` Yeah, I agree ๐ I don't like getting bad ratings, but can live with it....but when they don't leave a reply telling you why it really, really sucks ๐ ๐ฆWhat also sucks is when you respond to them, but they don't get a notification so never see your asset so they can't reevaluate/get helped with their issues
lunar fractal
^ This, al least give a change to improve
supple moon
wouldn't work
people will just /10char and leave the rating
You'd be better off having an ebay style thing where if you leave a low rating it just pops up a multichoice box with potential reasons why you think this asset was a bad buy
that way you could get some info out of the people who prerfer to stay anon
zealous ibex
Yeah - but we all know we won't get such functionality for at least another 10 years, if ever ๐ฆ
silver moat
10 Char feedbacks would at least be recognized by other buyers as false ratings.
I'm not really proposing a solution, rather bringing it up that this issue deserves some attention.
supple moon
I'm not sure what a false rating is
I think only competition would buy an asset to leave false ratings
silver moat
false rating = dishonest rating.
Other issue is that I think sellers shouldn't be allowed to influence their own average ratings.
Currently almost every newly released pack has a single 5 star rating on it.
Which is the seller rating their own work 5 stars.
supple moon
Well yeah pretty much every seller does that, everyone is aware of it
I don't think there are dishonest ratings unless someone has contacted you for a refund or something, but getting some feedback on ratings would be super useful
ebon leaf
Hello. How can i ask for transfer of money I earned if I earned a sufficient amount to ask for it?
sudden mason
Is Cubebrush the best Marketplace to sell assets on these days? Or are they as dodgy as Epic?
ebon leaf
@sudden mason i think you can't sell blueprints and plugins in there.
lucid horizon
Last couple of months have been a real pain with troll comments and ratings, it's really put me off doing anything in the marketplace. Epic cleaned up the comments, but it's just such a pain to deal with people that are messing around like that.
robust vector
If we didn't rate our own packs, they either wouldn't have any ratings at all or would only have a troll 1 star rating
candid rivet
if you guys want honest feedback, specifically on that landscape pack, the tetxure.com dependency is enough for a low rating. i wouldn't buy it. but i'd at least contact the seller if i had purchased it without knowing
robust vector
@sudden mason I never got a single sale on CubeBrush
Seems like its just a bunch of bots that download whatever gets put up in the freebies section
wooden falcon
anyone else in the US having cell problems right now? ๐
delicate dove
@candid rivet as long as you dont resell the package, that dependancy is no issue whatsoever
Yes, the textures may be used for free in 2D or 3D computer graphics, movies, printed media, computer games and 3D models. When bundled with a 3D model or scene you are allowed to sell it as a package.
No permission is granted to sell or redistribute the textures as a competing product, even when the images are modified. Please do not redistribute or sell textures by themselves, or as texture packs, or as clipart, or as material packs, or as scrapbooking packs.
You do not need to pay royalties or a usage fee. Textures may be downloaded and used free of charge.
Yes--But please note that it is not allowed to release our images under Open Source licenses (even when the images are modified).
Yes, provided the textures are used in the map. In that case, you are allowed to bundle them and distribute them as a package. Please add the following text to the documentation of the map:
"One or more textures on this map have been created with images from Textures.com. These images may not be redistributed by default. Please visit www.textures.com for more information."
so if thats an actual issue, then they need to actually read
candid rivet
ah, it's not clear, makes it sound like there's extra costs after you purchase the pack. that text is not great for a marketplace asset, i honestly skimmed over those packs because of that text
delicate dove
which is why.. well.. you should read :p
candid rivet
i did read, and it only has that blurb, where did you get that info?
delicate dove
from textures.com
candid rivet
haha, that's the problem, i'm not going to root around another website
delicate dove
yet you make an assumption
candid rivet
i only have the infor at hand, if an asset pack is going to send me to another website, it's a hard no. other people may not feel the same
to each his own
delicate dove
while I understand it, if someone said the same about a link to documentation, or a eula I'd chuckle a bit.
candid rivet
i come to the marketplace so i don't have to deal with other sites, if i was concerned i'd dive in further, i'm not agaisnt due diligence, it just looks like something i don't want to deal with at a cursory glance
wooden falcon
I've seen the pack with the push up anims like, 5 times now in featured in just a couple of days
:/
delicate dove
that I can understand
wooden falcon
man, this "randomization" on the featured rotation sucks
silver moat
Gotta love it how people are commenting "I was gonna buy but now seeing the 2 stars rating I won't."
How can someone feel like their $100 is wasted but don't even leave a comment. ๐ค
zealous kelp
@silver moat so from reading your recent forum post if i already own infinite landscapes i will eventually get the v2.0 updates ?
silver moat
Yes.
candid rivet
to be fair there's not alot to judge assets on other than visuals and the star rating. I've purchased assets that look great and are subpar or broken when i buy them. i contact the seller when i encounter problems though, i don't understand people who don't.
zealous kelp
nice
robust vector
I've purchased assets that were rated 4.8 stars and were dumpster fires that looked nothing like their screenshots though
So... no easy solution here
zealous kelp
I think the basic neural network was the worst i ever bought
elfin plinth
@wooden falcon so, you do that for your packs?
(5-star yourself, discord didn't scroll down)
wooden falcon
honestly, yah :/ for the longest time I wouldn't, then I realized that most people did, and that most people automatically subtract a 5 star from you mentally to get your "real" score...why hurt yourself by not doing it?
I'd love it if Epic fixed it where you couldn't and removed the ones where we did review our own, though
doesn't matter much I don't think...I'm beginning to think most people don't really start paying attention to someone's ratings until they have 20+
robust vector
I've got products with hundreds to thousands of units sold, and most of them just have the one 5 star rating I gave them.
lunar fractal
There should be some incentive for given a review, just have no idea what ๐
wooden falcon
maybe ask sellers to enter into some sort of coupon program...if you review a product, you get a chance go getting a coupon for a future purchase
go=of
or Epic could use a little of that 30% they take to give out a few prizes now and again....you rate/comment, you get entered to win
lunar fractal
Yeah, was thinking the same thing. Some sort of discount or future benefit after a review.
That still leaves the quality of the reviews
wooden falcon
hmm, not sure how to fix that one
lunar fractal
Maybe the "x out of y found this review usefull" tactic...
Hard to solve, haven't used a technology that actually had a good review system ๐
wooden falcon
I think I've seen this UFO pack at least 6 times this week: https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace/old-streetlights-pack
silver moat
It's rotated from day to day.
Probably
To verify if someone owns a pack, do we have to supply Epic with their email address only or email address + order ID ?
delicate dove
dunno, email should be enough right?
silver moat
Need to be sure, before I make an announcement. ๐
delicate dove
<_<
heady moth
Dis betteR?
delicate dove
yuz!
heady moth
Can't have too much pizzaaa
robust vector
It always looks like the same stuff over and over in featured when I check it, but maybe its just me
wooden falcon
it rotates everyone 30 inutes
minutes*
I've just been incredibaly unlucky it seems, as I've never spotted my pack (or if it was on once, it was probably at 1 in the morning)
incredibly*...I no spell gud
blah, I don't even care at this point
zealous ibex
@wooden falcon I saw mine once - but that was only because a friend pointed it out. But bummer you aren't seeing your content ๐ฆ
Also, I'm pretty sure I've had 0 additional sales due to the featured rotation, so that could just be the sale event aftermath, but ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
ebon leaf
Sales atm seem pretty slow. But that's to be expected imo. January last year was my worst month ever. Guessing it's down to people recovering from Xmas spending, as well as there having been two event sales where most people picked up things they wanted (cyber Monday and Xmas)
zealous ibex
Yeah, last year's January was pretty regular for me, but that's because A. I missed the sale, and B. only just released so sales on the whole were meh
ebon leaf
Most people I have spoken to are reporting pretty meh sales atm too. So, fun for everyone lol
zealous ibex
One of the many reasons I am so happy I ain't relying on the MP for my income ๐
zealous ibex
I will admit the sales did work out really nicely for me in the end ๐ค
ebon leaf
*lol
zealous ibex
Yeah - trying to do roughly the same now I've been selling for a little over a year
ebon leaf
I dump epics data into a spreadsheet once every month. Got it all set to give me daily averages and all that jazz so I can keep an eye on it all and notice if it drops and so on
zealous ibex
Nice
ebon leaf
Very useful and I'd recommend it to anyone who is even slightly relying on mp income. The 45 days after the month delay on pay doesn't exactly allow quick reaction to shit so having a long term perspective helps lol
zealous ibex
I love it how I could potentially be waiting 75 days to get the income of a sale ๐
(up to 30 days till the end of the month + 45 days)
ebon leaf
Lol it's ridiculous
zealous ibex
But hey - Epic's usually 1-4 days too early paying me, so I guess I shouldn't complain ๐
ebon leaf
Yeah same lol. Thanks PayPal XD
north stirrup
@wooden falcon Which featured? Those on the front page (https://www.unrealengine.com/marketplace) ?
wooden falcon
yah Phyronnaz
they pull from a pool of 150, changing every 30 minutes
oh wait, there's my pack!
north stirrup
Which one? ๐
wooden falcon
Necro's Bone Box
north stirrup
wooden falcon
great...so it doesn't even show everyone the same thing?
not that I'm complaining...that would result in more possible views
wooden falcon
This is what I see right now.
ebon leaf
north stirrup
Nah it's random
Change your web browser
Different results for different browsers
ebon leaf
lol gg epic. Can't even be honest and communicate how your featured item rotation is going to work
north stirrup
Actually it's stored in the cookies
modern perch
yeah, looks totally random and uses cookies to determine when to update I think
zealous ibex
Interesting
modern perch
I'm not sure I see the point of half hour intervals on a per-person basis though
ยฏ_(ใ)_/ยฏ
wooden falcon
traffic to their poor servers
zealous ibex
lol
ebon leaf
that's not "cycling" the items from a pool every half hour then ๐ but eh. idc. I haven't even bothered submitting my items to be featured haha
zealous ibex
I really am considering creating my own marketplace now ๐ I really shouldn't though, I wouldn't be able to handle the workload/legal side ๐
wooden falcon
I don't mind this way (random per individual)
if it had been how I thought it worked, there would be even less chance of anyone seeing my pack
zealous ibex
I wonder though - as Epic is taking 30% if setting up your own store (for your own products), but making it integrated/etc. would be worth the time, or whether sticking with UE4 is still the most (cost) effective solution (taking lesser exposure, etc. into account)
wooden falcon
but yah, 30 minutes is a bit high
ebon leaf
I don't either @wooden falcon ... but Epic should be a little more transparent abou tit IMO
wooden falcon
do 5 minutes or something
zealous ibex
Still, this Featured thing isn't being properly used in my opinion
Shouldn't featured indicate a product was really well received by the community/etc.? I mean it could be me, and I guess I shouldn't be complaining every get's a fair chance of exposure, but it somehow feels off all Featured really means is *temporarily on the front page due to being the lucky pick of a random selection algorithm)
Also, releasing all of your assets under different sellers, though not allowed, would form a way of highjacking this mechanism
ebon leaf
To me, "featured" sounds like it's Epic featuring the item... as in they are endorsing it as a representative product of their platform
But really its just a "put your hand up to appear here"
zealous ibex
Yeah - that was my first association too
Yeah
As everyone get's to submit one asset - just emagine if <ammm> released all of his assets under seperate accounts and participated in this with all of them
ebon leaf
there are people with more than one seller account. I know of at least 4 or 5 of them
zealous ibex
๐ค
Oh well - I could go on ranting for hours, but I won't ๐
That reminds me, I need to chase up one of my assets that's had 5+mo in review ๐ค
ebon leaf
You also have some accounts that are "company" accounts, for lack of a better term, and the people involved on that account also have standalone accounts each
in most cases of the above scenario that I've seen, each of those accounts only have one product each lol
wooden falcon
what would be nice, is a Featured section, and then RIGHT under that, a section with random packs from the MP
that way, you could still say that the Featured ones are ones that are particularly good or have sold well, but you'd still get a modicum of exposure for old packs
once you're off the front page now, the only exposure is putting your pack on sale
zealous ibex
Wow - it's actually almost 6mo now, 5mo 21d since I submitted the asset ๐ฎ
I guess I may actually become 2nd on the Longest Marketplace Asset Review Times Ever list ๐
wooden falcon
even being New doesn't help now, as someone can dump 40 vols of packs and knock you off
zealous ibex
Yeah - once sales pick up I'll just start releasing every 2 weeks
I waited way too long thinking the new section may return to like it was a bit, where you'd actually get some exposure, but that was one huge mistake
And when I realized that the sale sign up deadlines had already passed, so yeah....releasing at that time would only be even worse ๐
elfin plinth
issue with 3rd party marketplaces is the trust
it will take time for people to actually trust it's legit business
that's kinda why these marketplaces embedded to game engines work so well, as it's easier to trust a party that has been around for few decades than some new random company
like, if you make a commercial game, you want to minimize the risks
if you just buy from random online stores, who knows where the assets came from
it's even issue with these official stores
but even more if it's some random place
north stirrup
Actually the featured assets are picked from a pool of 103 assets
Or there's 103 only assets in the marketplace?
ebon leaf
Its a pool of assets that were submitted to epic from sellers. So if there is only 103 of them, means only 103 sellers bothered to reply to the email I guess lol
zealous ibex
You needed to opt in?
ebon leaf
Yah
zealous ibex
But I'd be supprised if it were that few
But then again - there are tons of (art) assets that are outdated, and even more assets where the creator doesn't respond to any comments
ebon leaf
I wouldn't... given how often people say "I didn't get the email..." and that, as well as unresponsive devs, etc.
I know I'm not the only one who just couldn't be bothered to reply because its a stupid system ๐
zealous ibex
(though that could be due not getting email notifications for comments)
๐ Yeah - it's pretty clumbersome
Anyone reading this now, the window for the next one is still open, so double check your (spam) boxes as creators who haven't opted in yet
(I really hope the above information isn't secret, but I guess that isn't too likely as the info is worth pretty much nothing, and I haven't really given a lot of info)
modern perch
it would appear there are no foliage billboards on the marketplace
if someone is looking for a niche, that is a product I just took a look for :p
zealous ibex
Foliage Billboards -> ?
Oh, as in using a billboard facing the player instead of foliage to increase performance?
modern perch
for distant foliage, yes
wooden falcon
there were over 300 for the first "round"
they've been doing around 100 or so a week
ebon leaf
why is it harder to become a publisher on this marketplace than on the Unity Asset Store?