Just a little FYI about false advertisement
by Kyrah Abattoir · in Torque 3D Professional · 12/16/2011 (12:41 am) · 13 replies
Now before i start i'm not saying GG is doing anything like this on purpose, BUT the main GG page show short animations from the chinatown content in T3D 1.2 that feature assets that are NOT part of the product.
I don't care personally because I knew what I was buying but this is very misleading for new buyers and i think it should be changed.
For example, there shouldn't be any videos of the ender rocket launcher followed by a Torque3D 1.2 logo if you're not gonna get the ender when you by T3D 1.2, that's just plain false advertisement.
I don't care personally because I knew what I was buying but this is very misleading for new buyers and i think it should be changed.
For example, there shouldn't be any videos of the ender rocket launcher followed by a Torque3D 1.2 logo if you're not gonna get the ender when you by T3D 1.2, that's just plain false advertisement.
About the author
3D artist, programmer, game designer, jack of all trades, master of none.
#2
The promo doesn't actually state that what you see there is what you get, and the rocket launcher is in fact an item specifically designed for T3D 1.2.
As a British dude, I definitely agree that the ASA organisation are really strict about TV advertising content but web material is not covered with the same iron fist as far as I'm aware.
Anyway, I'd say that the animation on the GG page is purely representative and not there as a definitive list of "what you get". Perhaps a little bit of text that clarifies the issue you mentioned would be more than enough. Personally, I absolutely didn't interpret the advert in that way.
12/16/2011 (6:17 am)
Hmmm, the only issue I would see is that there's a vague implication that the rocket launcher is part of T3D 1.2.The promo doesn't actually state that what you see there is what you get, and the rocket launcher is in fact an item specifically designed for T3D 1.2.
As a British dude, I definitely agree that the ASA organisation are really strict about TV advertising content but web material is not covered with the same iron fist as far as I'm aware.
Anyway, I'd say that the animation on the GG page is purely representative and not there as a definitive list of "what you get". Perhaps a little bit of text that clarifies the issue you mentioned would be more than enough. Personally, I absolutely didn't interpret the advert in that way.
#3
12/16/2011 (7:36 am)
I got a bit half cocked on this one... Yeah a line saying 'model not part of package' would be good. i mean it's just a suggestion, that's all. 
#4
The internet does get a bit iffy since the british government will rollover on its own citizens if any part of your internet business passes through US servers you are also subject to US laws (a rediculous quirk but its a fact non the less).
The point here really is that this is an ethical rather than legal issue, and yes i know expecting US companies to have any form of ethical knowhow and behaviour is probably over optimistic, I think it would be nice if GG recognised its international status and added extra comments for nations that have been exposed to advertising honesty all the time.
12/16/2011 (9:13 am)
As british dudes, we are expected to comply with british laws regarding advertising regardless of the medium. The internet does get a bit iffy since the british government will rollover on its own citizens if any part of your internet business passes through US servers you are also subject to US laws (a rediculous quirk but its a fact non the less).
The point here really is that this is an ethical rather than legal issue, and yes i know expecting US companies to have any form of ethical knowhow and behaviour is probably over optimistic, I think it would be nice if GG recognised its international status and added extra comments for nations that have been exposed to advertising honesty all the time.
#5
@Kyrah - If they have not already seen this thread, I'll go ahead and forward it to the marketing team.
12/16/2011 (9:30 am)
Quote:added extra comments for nations that have been exposed to advertising honesty all the time.It goes both ways. When Melv visited he brought "biscuits". Imagine my disappointment when they turned out to be cookies =/. Stop confusing my diet British dudes!
@Kyrah - If they have not already seen this thread, I'll go ahead and forward it to the marketing team.
#6
12/16/2011 (9:32 am)
Thank you for your feedback Kyrah Abattoir. We will get this corrected as soon as possible. 
#7
12/16/2011 (9:35 am)
I can understand how someone could be misled, though no one has yet to my knowledge. I'll look at updating it as we can fit it into our sprint with some clarification text. Thanks for the catch.
#8
12/16/2011 (9:38 am)
Thanks guys! 
#9
I hate it when we are so literal as a society that we don't take certain forms of advertising for what it is. It is an attempt to transfer a feeling about the positive aspects of a product. We end up having to write huge legalese statements to CYA ourselves from something might have been a temporary feature, and a small part of a early development of product that happens to appear in an advertisement. Yes a product should try to be accurate when representing itself, but at the same time the end user must research to determine if the product will meet their needs. I honestly believe the Torque demo products cover that function. As to other products my favorite eula is for Microsoft Windows products. They basically tell you that the end product is not suitable for any purpose.
Of course my CYA:
None of the above statements are necessarily an accurate representation as to the person submitting the comment. As a human being the poster has strengths and weaknesses when interacting with people. If an offense is incurred please understand it was unintentional unless the person offended is a boogerhead. However, even in that case the poster apologizes in advance.
12/16/2011 (1:00 pm)
The videos and bitmaps on the GG site are a representation of the types of features a video game with the T3D engine could contain. Not all: art resources, AI behaviors, textures, shaders, sound effects, music tracks, models, text strings, pixel colorings, or pointer references are included in the final deliverable product. Many of the types of items mentioned were included to show off the technical maturity of this high end product in a way that is attractive to the end user. In no way does this make GG liable to provide every asset featured in any demo video or bitmap. The T3D engine is assumed to not be feature complete for any particular type of video game or application. It is also assumed that the end user will bring to their own projects those missing features. If in doubt as to what is included then refer to the text that accompanies the product description. If you have questions as to what is included then refer to the forums for guidance on any particular feature or asset. If this is part of a determine of engine selection make sure you have fully explored the demo and asked the appropriate questions in the forums to determine if this product will meet your needs. One item we can be absolutely sure will be included with each and every asset is the file extension. :)I hate it when we are so literal as a society that we don't take certain forms of advertising for what it is. It is an attempt to transfer a feeling about the positive aspects of a product. We end up having to write huge legalese statements to CYA ourselves from something might have been a temporary feature, and a small part of a early development of product that happens to appear in an advertisement. Yes a product should try to be accurate when representing itself, but at the same time the end user must research to determine if the product will meet their needs. I honestly believe the Torque demo products cover that function. As to other products my favorite eula is for Microsoft Windows products. They basically tell you that the end product is not suitable for any purpose.
Quote:2)US companies respect only their own laws, and even then not very often :pDon't go there. Lumping over 300 Million people into one group and making broad statements about "those people" is an ignorant, almost racist attitude. Every people has good and bad aspects to their respective societies. Lets not start lumping an entire group into the least common denominator status. That would be like saying every Englishman is a Neville Chamberlain when there are clearly great examples of Winston Churchhill types in their midst. Do I believe a lot of companies in the US are operating with unethical standards? Yes. Is it a general reflection on all US companies? No. For example: GG is one of those companies doing their best to "do it right". If they were not, I would not be here. As the saying goes, "You hang out with dogs, you get flees." So stop supporting our mangy companies and don't buy their products. ;) Support the ones who got dewormed and apply flee powder on a regular basis.
Of course my CYA:
None of the above statements are necessarily an accurate representation as to the person submitting the comment. As a human being the poster has strengths and weaknesses when interacting with people. If an offense is incurred please understand it was unintentional unless the person offended is a boogerhead. However, even in that case the poster apologizes in advance.
#10
12/16/2011 (3:42 pm)
Oooooki, so *thats* what happens when Frank is not working on Python... 
#11
12/16/2011 (4:26 pm)
me head go numb numb. :P
#12
12/16/2011 (11:56 pm)
Woah Frank don't take it the wrong way! I was simply commenting that it could be misleading to some!
#13
It started out as satire and I let my personal feelings cloud my sense of civility. You are right of course about trying to keep representation clean and accurate.
@Blooknight,
I apologize what I said was not called for. If that is really how we are perceived it saddens me. I love my country as I can tell you do too. I will do my best to be part of the companies that are truthful in representation and action. Thank you for the constructive criticism.
12/17/2011 (12:06 am)
@Kyrah,It started out as satire and I let my personal feelings cloud my sense of civility. You are right of course about trying to keep representation clean and accurate.
@Blooknight,
I apologize what I said was not called for. If that is really how we are perceived it saddens me. I love my country as I can tell you do too. I will do my best to be part of the companies that are truthful in representation and action. Thank you for the constructive criticism.
Torque 3D Owner Bloodknight
Bloodknight Studios
1)I believe advertising laws on the internet are only enforced on a local level, after all thats all you can do.
2)US companies respect only their own laws, and even then not very often :p
I do however believe that most advertising is less than ethically sound, the UK particularly has a reasonable approach which is to add text to such things, 'not game footage' 'serving suggestion' 'models not part of package' and such things as that, which allow advertisers to be creative and show off what can be done without actually misleading.