CompuServe Messages

The problem with Real 3D (aside from unusable documentation, tutorials that don't work, inscrutable user interaface, and set-ups only targetting PAL systems) is the egocentric notion that, regardles of a single-task or multi-tasking system, theirs is the only software that the box runs. This is evidenced by the non-passthrough joy stick port dongle. That dongle can also cause some applications that look at the joystick port to crash. Their option is a parallel dongle that will prevent you from using your parNet, AmiLink, scanner etc. So once again their egocentricity leads to a degradation of your overall system capability. They are also, IMHO, suspect in the "truth content" of much of what is being said here. Not that it is outright lies, just that there are significant omissions really make a difference in the user's expeience with the program versus the expectations created by the "hype". This is normal advertising practice, I realise. But usually the hype is a wartless description of the body in question. RSI describes a wonderful friendly person, but they sell you a vicious dog instead – the differences are radical enough to leave a very bad taste in the buyers mouth. My opinion is base on the purchase I made from RSI and I believe Mr. Godfrey himself, at NAB '93. 1) the dongle was carefully not mentioned, and not in place on the demo machine so you bought the package not knowing that you would loose the use of that analog drawing device attached to the joystick port, or Brilliance, etc. 2) they sold pre-alpha release software that was almost too buggy to even boot. They failed to advise the buyer that it was not a finished product. Not only that, they made no effort to keep tabs of those buying the pre-release version (at full price, I might add) in order to upgrade them to the release version when it came out. 3) After two months attemptin g tutorials and phone calls I finally talked to a tech support person who admitted the revision I got was not intended for external release but was an internal debug release. He sent me the "release" version and it cleared up about half of the most glaring problem, but was still pretty unstable. I had an entire legal pad filled with bugs and manual problems that had come from using th pre-release version. Seeing, after 2 days, that there was only about a 50% fix rate for the major problems, I de-installed it. The package is now a door-stop in my studio. At $512 it is the most expensive door stop I ever had the misfortune of being conned into buying. My view of Real-3D users are that they are people who would otherwise join some penitent religeous sect and run around in a constant state of self flagellation ;^}