I'm sorry guys, but it still makes no sense to me... I've always said I agree with your frustrations and your anger. I don't consider you guys unreasonable, or your positions untenable.
But that's a fork in the road; you can go one way, and decide to stick it out, or you can go the other way, and decide not to. I've always campaigned for sticking it out, and I think if you do, your actions are clear: you can just watch, or learn, post bug reports and practice/share renders and techniques.
If you're going down the other fork, then sue, or file complaints, whatever you're going to do.
It's the hanging out at the fork, fuming incessantly that I don't understand the purpose of. Just going on and on about how angry you are. I swear for months and months the conversations go back and forth. This is exactly how the whole thing has looked from my chair:
- I'm saying, "Okay, you're angry and justified, and you don't post renders or tips and you keep threatening to sue so go for it."
"Well I'm really angry! They didn't deliver what's in the white papers!"
"Okay, go sue them, I think you've got a case."
"I've got a lawyer, you know."
"That's great, you'll need that."
"NL thinks they can treat their customers like this?"
"Sounds frustrating. Why don't you try making the best of it?"
"Maxwell is useless. All I model are external views of sunlit greenhouses."
"That sucks. Glad I'm not in your business."
"Yeah, they're criminals and a joke in the industry and they stole my money and the money of other people and we're going to take action."
"Yeah, you said that. Are you going to do that now?"
"...and they should learn something from Luxology/Chaosgroup/Newtek/Autodesk/Apple/Micrsoft who send daily emails about software improvements, plus gift baskets at Christmas."
"I thought you were going to sue somebody..."
"...and I'll tell you another thing: Vray looks just as good and renders in 3 seconds noise-free."
"Uh-huh..."
"Did I mention they're engaged in criminal conspiracy? My lawyer agrees."
"Yes you did, are you filing that lawsuit now?"
"I demand an apology."
"Look, if you're not going to actually do anything but complain, what's the point? You said VRay is so much better, etc. so why do you come to this forum everyday?"
"Because I want what I was promised!"
"Yeah I KNOW that, but you already said you didn't get it and you were taking legal action."
"..."
"Why don't you just go use VRay, write off the $500 and move on?"
"Because I need Maxwell to work!"
"Need?"
"I told my boss to purchase 100 licenses of it and he did."
"You what?"
"Well they said it was coming out in October and they lied!"
"Your boss bought 100 licenses of unfinished software?"
"I told him to."
"Why on Earth would y-"
"Don't make this about me! It's NL who lied! They said it would be out, and now I'm close to getting fired."
"100 licenses of unfinished software... at best that's criminally irresponsible. Boy, I can just imagine my purchasing guy coming to me with that one. I might fire him just for making such a stupid suggestion, and I certainly wouldn't sign the check."
"Mike, you're a jerk. You're an NL mouthpiece and you're rude and sarcastic and I've seen your website and you're not even that good so shut up."
"All I said was I agreed with your frustration and I thought you should make the best of it. You're the one who's just stuck in a complaint loop all day, the net value of which, in my opinion, is zero."
"ZERO?! My value is zero!? We're paying customers and NL is a scumbag corporation and they lied, and I'm about to get fired, and <foam shooting out of mouth> I'm going to sue and I want <seizure> my money back or 1.0 right now and, and, and.... F$ck you, Darth Bleh!" <passes out>
-A Few Months Later-
RC 5 is released.
PM to mverta: "Hi! Sorry about calling you Darth Bleh in the forum LOL but I can't get emitters to work right. Can you help me? Also I can't import geometry and I can't make a simple metal and I have a client presentation in 3 hours it needs to be rendered for."
"Okay, I've returned the scene file to you with some fixes."
"Thanks!"
"Sure."
"..."
"What?"
"...well... RC5 is a good step, but when's RC6?"
"Oh, no..."
"You know there's a lot of stuff we were promised..."
"Oh, God, please, not again."
"They can't just release 1.0 without all the features and think we won't notice."
"...Our Father, who art in Heaven..."
"This is easily criminal, you know."
"...Halowed be Thy name..."
"You know I've got a lawyer."
"..Thy kingd- Yes, I know you've got a lawyer. I think you've said that once or twice before. Look, for the billionth time, Maxwell is worth hanging out for; it does amazing things already - have you looked in the gallery recently? Here's a clue: Jotero, Tora, Nico, Olivier, Maximus - the list goes on and on - and there's a ton more stuff coming."
"No. You don't say that! I have a right to be angry and I want what I paid for and I'm...."
The End. Or IS it? (cue ominous music)
_Mike