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Thread: Needed - Choice option for download or Microsoft Store option

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
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    233

    Needed - Choice option for download or Microsoft Store option

    Many ArtRage users prefer a download version (I think).
    Therefore, a choice for the users in “Download” or “Microsoft Store”) would be very welcome.
    I am already buyer of ArtRage Pro - 4 - 5 and 6 and now also vitae
    (on the PC - where I don’t want it because I suggested that I was getting a download link so I could install it on the laptop)
    (My laptop refuses to be visible in the Store So I need the download method it is visable in devices but not in install on)
    Sorry for my bad English (I never had English education)

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
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    176
    I'm not sure that a download-version from the Microsoft Store would be a trustable solution. I purchased f.e. a movie on the store, that I also downloaded. The option exists, but it seems to mean nothing. As my Internet was down for about a weak recently, I couldn't watch the movie anyway. You may say, "Okay, a movie", but it was the same with a game ("Rise of the Tomb Raider") that I purchased from the MS Store too. I also had problems with getting plugins to work in Affinity Photo, that I purchsed on the Store too, while users who bought it on the Affinity Store didn't have that problem. This didn't have anything to do with the internet-connection. Another annoying thing is, that you can watch movies, you bought on the MS Store, only on Microsoft's verry limited player. In my opinion the MS Store really sucks.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Rochester, New York
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    523
    Quote Originally Posted by Somerset View Post
    I'm not sure that a download-version from the Microsoft Store would be a trustable solution. I purchased f.e. a movie on the store, that I also downloaded. The option exists, but it seems to mean nothing. As my Internet was down for about a weak recently, I couldn't watch the movie anyway. You may say, "Okay, a movie", but it was the same with a game ("Rise of the Tomb Raider") that I purchased from the MS Store too. I also had problems with getting plugins to work in Affinity Photo, that I purchsed on the Store too, while users who bought it on the Affinity Store didn't have that problem. This didn't have anything to do with the internet-connection. Another annoying thing is, that you can watch movies, you bought on the MS Store, only on Microsoft's verry limited player. In my opinion the MS Store really sucks.
    Not quite sure that Microsoft Store has a good back up system as buying directly from web site of software service. I purchased Art Rage Vitae at Microsoft Store yet their processing of the order lead to my being locked out of my account there.
    I think the wrong button was pressed at first leading to some security issue where a portable phone number was necessary to send you a text message. Not quite certain how they install the programs here, I have also purchased Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher through the Microsoft store, reluctantly, since I could not make the purchase directly from their European web site due to the limitations of prepaid debit card being purchases within the U.S.A. where I am a citizen resident. Paypal has recently changed and no longer allows accounts for payments without having a portable phone where they can send you a text message security verification. Without a portable phone with text messaging service your out of luck with paypal. I liked the way Art Rage took payments and orders with past versions allowing you to pay through a service that accepted cash at a local Seven Eleven store. Quite honestly not everyone in the world has a portable phone with texting service, some people are keeping their lan lines.

    The Microsoft Store also has a unique and covert way of hiding any directory files created from the installation of the software you purchase through them. Without a .exe file you cannot make any back ups in the event of something going wrong requiring re-installation of the software program. Have no idea how you might possibly make a back up copy of the program, cannot find any files anywhere yet programs run without being connected to the internet. They must be hidden deeply somewhere in a directory or somewhere else like the registry. I was successfully able to use Art Rage on Linux operating systems with version 5 and 6, Fedora Design Suite, Mint, and AV Linux. With this version cannot figure a way to use the program on Linux through WINE application, cannot locate any files for WINE to run on Linux. In case you think these Windows programs are cloud type applications, they run without being online, from my experience with Art Rage Vitae and Affinity Designer, and Publisher. Yes things are changing and not for the better and continuation of choice and freedom for computer users, yet I would not blame the problem on Art Rage. They are at the mercy of operating systems for compliance and adaptability if they want their product to run on that operating system.
    Last edited by Stephen Lo Piano; 08-11-2021 at 08:05 AM.
    I have a personally designed artwork gallery website at: www.stephenlopiano.com
    There is one section full of pages there under the Digital Artwork category that is devoted entirely to paintings I have created with Art Rage.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
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    176
    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen Lo Piano View Post
    ...I have also purchased Affinity Designer and Affinity Publisher through the Microsoft store, reluctantly, since I could not make the purchase directly from their European web site due to the limitations of prepaid debit card being purchases...
    I purchased Affinity Photo and Publisher from the MS Store - also because I have no credit card (because I don't want to have one). I like both apps but not the MS Store, and so I decided to get a Paypal account only to be able to buy also Affinity Designer directly from the Affinity Store. The next bigger update (version 2, I think) I will buy also Photo and Publisher at Affinity Store if possible.

    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen Lo Piano View Post
    The Microsoft Store also has a unique and covert way of hiding any directory files created from the installation of the software you purchase through them...
    That is really annoying. I found the installations of both apps some time ago, but I have forgotten where. I couldn't do anything with it. I'm not sure, but I think it was possibly under C:\Program Files\Windows Apps. Possibly hidden folders. As I tried it some minutes ago, I couldn't open the Windows Apps Folder.

    Except that at first it was impossible to get the free G'MIC-Plugin running in the MS Store-version of Affinity Photo (while it worked in the version from the Affinity Store verry well - even in the Demo-version), I haven't had bigger problems with these apps. Even if I'm offline.Thanks god!

    I fully agree with you that the things don't really get better. Nothing to say against the technical progress, but the commercial overkill sucks. Ubiquitous advertising, data trade, patronising... For example, the games may be much more realistic and impressing today. But where are the days when we just bought a CD or DVD, installed it on our pc and started playing - without annoying Steam or UPlay or something that slows our computers down when it updates and assails us with advertisng. And these god damn Ingame Sales... Sometimes I think, even if the games were simpler and not so impressing in graphics in the past, it was much more fun anyway. Today it is only a wheeling and dealing. Hope this trend will not take too much place even in productive software. The last time I often thought about to get back a little more to anlogue painting,

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Rochester, New York
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    These affinity products are really good stuff, and inexpensive. I hope in the future we see these programs on disc for sale in local retail stores where software is sold such as Staples and Best Buy. Would be nice to have a disc back up .exe file for installing the program when problems occur. Sometimes these discs are so helpful, especially with programs that have problems where no default settings can be returned to and you have sluggish performance due to some flaw or even worse disaster.

    The Affinity Designer program is an excellent vector based drawing program with an extension to use bit map painting that is not as good as Art Rage yet basic functioning. The vector side of this program has great features.

    Getting back to Art Rage Vitae, my personal opinion of the program that I recently purchased at the Microsoft Store is very good. After a test run noticed some brush application improvements, a few new features. I could easily stay with Art Rage 6 since I use Linux a lot (Fedora Design Suite and Mint) and the WINE application works successfully for running Art Rage on these two operating systems. Could not figure out a way to run Art Rage 6 on Debian yet that's okay since WINE on Debian is different, still AV and Mint are based on deb packages. Although I just started yesterday playing around with Vitae, due to Microsoft Store handling Vitae I currently see no way of running this version on Linux operating systems like Fedora Design Suite or Mint without access to program execution or set up file such as .exe, .msi, or .zip.

    When I have the money to do so I like buying latest versions of digital painting software to support the software so that when it is good useful stuff you reduce the probability of it being taken off the market or end of life by buying the software or donating towards free and open-source software.
    I have a personally designed artwork gallery website at: www.stephenlopiano.com
    There is one section full of pages there under the Digital Artwork category that is devoted entirely to paintings I have created with Art Rage.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
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    176
    So ArtRage Vitae really is the new version of ArtRage? It is a little confusing as the ArtRage-website still shows up with ArtRage 6 as the latest release and ArtRage Vitae for iOS and Android. And I got an e-mail that offers an upgrade discount for 39,50 $. The Microsoft Store offers ArtRage Vitae for the same price, but the offer will run out in 50 days. What does this mean? Does the upgrade discount also end in 50 days? I think the offer on the MS Store isn't the upgrade discount because how should the store know that I'm already ArtRage-User? But I will have to buy it on the store anyway. How can I tell the store that I'm an upgrading user if I buy later than in 50 days? Verry confusing! Awkward marketing, I would say.

    Yes I love the Affinity-apps too. Especially Publisher is amazing. But Photo and Designer are also great. There are only a few limitations (f.e. no autotracing in Designer, and you can't save curves in Photo) and some bugs, but I really enjoy working with all of them and they have some astounding festures. Hope that they will make their way on the market and don't change to the damn abo-model like Adobe and others.

    I planed to test if ArtRage runs on Ubuntu Studio since meanwhile years I think, but I didn't have the time. Hope I will do it the next time.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Ambient Design
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    3,936
    We'll be updating the ArtRage homepage with ArtRage Vitae at the end of this month (August). We'll be doing the official launch then.
    AndyRage's mantra for graphics engine code:
    "Sure - how hard can it be?"

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Rochester, New York
    Posts
    523
    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen Lo Piano View Post
    These affinity products are really good stuff, and inexpensive. I hope in the future we see these programs on disc for sale in local retail stores where software is sold such as Staples and Best Buy. Would be nice to have a disc back up .exe file for installing the program when problems occur. Sometimes these discs are so helpful, especially with programs that have problems where no default settings can be returned to and you have sluggish performance due to some flaw or even worse disaster.

    The Affinity Designer program is an excellent vector based drawing program with an extension to use bit map painting that is not as good as Art Rage yet basic functioning. The vector side of this program has great features.

    Getting back to Art Rage Vitae, my personal opinion of the program that I recently purchased at the Microsoft Store is very good. After a test run noticed some brush application improvements, a few new features. I could easily stay with Art Rage 6 since I use Linux a lot (Fedora Design Suite and Mint) and the WINE application works successfully for running Art Rage on these two operating systems. Could not figure out a way to run Art Rage 6 on Debian yet that's okay since WINE on Debian is different, still AV and Mint are based on deb packages. Although I just started yesterday playing around with Vitae, due to Microsoft Store handling Vitae I currently see no way of running this version on Linux operating systems like Fedora Design Suite or Mint without access to program execution or set up file such as .exe, .msi, or .zip.

    When I have the money to do so I like buying latest versions of digital painting software to support the software so that when it is good useful stuff you reduce the probability of it being taken off the market or end of life by buying the software or donating towards free and open-source software.
    Let me correct something I wrote earlier here. On second close walk through Vitae I cannot find anything different from Art Rage 6, going through it quickly from memory I thought there was differences. So if you do not like Microsoft Store stay with version 6, that will also run on Linux. This does not change my mind about the program, still damn good, one of the best digital painting programs out there.
    I have a personally designed artwork gallery website at: www.stephenlopiano.com
    There is one section full of pages there under the Digital Artwork category that is devoted entirely to paintings I have created with Art Rage.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Posts
    176
    OK, thank you both for making it a little clearer. But as I'm afraid that even ArtRage (Vitae) 8 and following will only be purchasable on the MS and Apple Store, what about the upgrade price? Will this offer end after the time limit the store announces? And if not, how can I tell the store that I am already an ArtRage-user? This is still not clear to me. And I don't want to buy it for the full price by accident. The customer service of the store wasn't really helpfull for me in the past.

  10. #10
    Bingo! I've had issues in the past when the internet was down with an the app, movie, etc. will not run. I no longer purchase apps that are tied to the internet. I don't care if it's better than what I'm currently using or better than an alternative app. Online protected apps have a huge downfall when your internet goes down or is running super slow, in the instance of downloading and installing the app again.

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