[rezoner]

Ahoy. I am the author of SpriteStack. I am really honored to be on HN front page and I would like to straighten some misconceptions about this app.

The version that is available and its trailer has little to do with the current state of the application.

New release brings voxels, lowpoly and sprites together to create 3D animated game objects and export them as 2D spritesheets. It's purpose is not to replace your favorite software (Aseprite, MagicaVoxel, PicoCAD...) but to bind them all together into something even more useful from a 2D gamedeveloper point of view. So it can import - a lot of things.

Please check this post/video that is more accurate about what SpriteStack is than the 2019 trailer https://www.patreon.com/posts/spritestack-2021-53317888

[wcarss]

Hi rezoner, this tool (both versions) look so cool!

I saw you ask on twitter a few days ago for explanations from people who may have looked but then didn't buy, and I'd like to offer my own experience if you're interested.

I'm at most a hobby artist+gamedev, so I expect I might download this and play around with it for a few days, then forget that I ever had it for ~months, before playing around with it again someday. Because of that pattern, I don't make a lot of purchases for art's sake, e.g. I have wanted pico8 for a long time, yet never acted to buy it. I end up setting a bit of an unfairly high bar for believing I'll actually get use out of a new cool thing like this.

So then, looking around and seeing a new version is coming soon with a lot of big changes/features, and today's version is $30, my immediate question is "would a license for today's version grant access to the new one?"

With that in mind, I looked around on your twitter, your patreon, your itch.io, and a few of your website pages, and I wasn't able to find an answer. I might have just missed it! But that left me feeling scared that I'll pay $30 today and in 3 weeks or something, there'll be a new cool thing that I can't have. But I know that if I just wait a while, I'll likely be able to get the new thing then. So... it pushes me toward wanting to wait, even despite your reasonable request for help in funding development of the new thing I want, which I want to help with.

I also saw a mention of access to a renderer coming soon, for patrons, but as an outsider I'm not sure what the renderer is with respect to the rest of the project. I looked over the patron levels and wasn't sure if there's a reason to choose one level over another, outside of how much I want to contribute. Not that there needs to be! But I wondered about it, and the uncertainty gave me enough anxiety to kind of put off the whole decision. And now we're here. :)

So, to recap:

- I want to contribute to your patreon to feel like I'm helping

- I want to buy spritestack (especially the new one, but also the current one)

- I'd be willing to pay probably $40-50 today

- I'm scared I might pay, then miss out on some benefit, and it's making me defer the decision

Anyway, good luck!

[itronitron]

Just read this on the Steam page for SpriteStack regarding the upcoming release.

Do not worry to get current version of SpriteStack - it's the one that will get updated with all the new features you can read about there https://spritestack.io/upcoming. After the update the price will go up so it's the best moment to get it - also it helps me to focus on SpriteStack instead of looking for funds.

[rezoner]

QA: Yes it's completely safe to buy current version as it is going to be updated with the revamped software.

Thank you very very much for such a detailed experience. It's super helpful and I will address it. I've learned that behind one person with certain problem there are number of people that will just abandon it without ever being vocal about it - so it's pretty much always worth to fix what at a fist glance might look like an individual experience. Sorry that you had to dig for answers.

[rezoner]

I have reworked the front page. If you have time to look at it and tell me if it makes you less doubtful I would appreciate it. No pressure though, you already helped me much.

[wcarss]

Thanks for updating the page and for clarifying here! Bought on steam and patron'd :)

[Kiro]

I remember you made some pretty awesome .io games in this style. Are they still online?

[rezoner]

I keep some alive but they are really just burning my budget which is quite poor since I am a full time indie wannabe so I consider shutting them down.

I will probably leave Wanderers tho - https://wanderers.io/

[stu2b50]

Hi, think this looks really cool, although I am a little confused what I, a propsective consumer, should be doing. If I want to give this try, should I buy the current version? Is there a separate purchase for the new version? Does the license carry over?

tl;dr what/where should I buy at this current moment

[rezoner]

I will make it much clear on the website ASAP.

1) You cannot try it yet :)

2) You can safely buy current version as the next update will replace it - as in - you get the new software.

3) I need a few more months to finish it but I want to release the rendering part of the app (simply without animator) for my patrons in July - https://www.patreon.com/spritestack

[wcarss]

you said this so much more concisely than I did