A note on the May update
Update (06/06/23):
Seeing the many negative reactions to the account system, we have decided to make account creation optional from now on! We didn’t intend to disappoint our users and we realise how important of a matter this is now. Please accept our apologies.
We just published a longer message about this on Steam here.
You can now access the newest version without creating an account, if you click on ‘skip login’ when opening the launcher.
Dear Shapelab community,
We would like to respond to all the concerns that were raised since the release of the May update. We realize now that the communication about this update was not clear and we apologize to anyone who feels uneasy about the changes. Please let us give you a more in-depth explanation of why we have implemented the account system and the launcher and what this means to our users.
Why we implemented a user account system and launcher
An application launcher and a simple user account system enables direct communication with our customers and keeps them informed about important updates. It is a key requirement for building an effective customer support system with personalized assistance and improved communication.
On why we need the launcher
We want to assure you that we won't charge legacy users a monthly fee for a product they already purchased as a one-time payment. However, we do have plans to make Shapelab available outside of Steam and introduce new versions like business and educational plans. The launcher will be the perfect platform for downloading, managing versions and providing a user-friendly interface for launching Shapelab in different versions.
The launcher will not only enable users to launch various versions of Shapelab but also includes helpful links. Additionally, it will manage notifications and, in the future, provide built-in contact forms and communication tools for users to utilize.
Please note that once you register, you don't really have to deal with the launcher if you check the 'Remember Me' checkbox. Once that checkbox is checked and you log in, you will only see the launcher if you look for it in the location where the hidden minimized items are located on the Windows tray.
Also, we have no intention of making a constant internet connection mandatory. Currently, the offline grace period is 30 days, meaning the app needs to go online at least once every 30 days. However, we are open to discussing the appropriate time frame for this requirement, as 30 days is considered more of an industry standard.
On data collection
The only non-anonymous data we have access to is the information you provide (with only the email being mandatory) and limited login dates. When it comes to Steam, we can only see download numbers and daily active users, which are not sufficient for building a sustainable business model. We primarily focus on anonymous data related to monthly active users, median playtime, average playtime, and other relevant metrics across different timeframes.
Neither the international legal environment, our privacy policy, nor our personal and human norms would allow us to sell your data. Furthermore, it would not make sense from a business perspective at all. You can find more information about how we use your data in our privacy policy.
We hope that our intentions are clearer with this explanation. We will also react to the individual comments and discussions that were not yet answered. Please let us know if you have any other concerns or questions.
Again, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused. We hope that you will consider giving the updated Shapelab a chance.
If you own Shapelab and you don’t want to use the latest update, please contact us via [email protected] and we can provide you permanent access to the previous version (February update). Please note that you will not need to log in to use the February version, but it also has less features and will not be updated with new ones.
Best,
Leopoly team
Seeing the many negative reactions to the account system, we have decided to make account creation optional from now on! We didn’t intend to disappoint our users and we realise how important of a matter this is now. Please accept our apologies.
We just published a longer message about this on Steam here.
You can now access the newest version without creating an account, if you click on ‘skip login’ when opening the launcher.
Dear Shapelab community,
We would like to respond to all the concerns that were raised since the release of the May update. We realize now that the communication about this update was not clear and we apologize to anyone who feels uneasy about the changes. Please let us give you a more in-depth explanation of why we have implemented the account system and the launcher and what this means to our users.
Why we implemented a user account system and launcher
An application launcher and a simple user account system enables direct communication with our customers and keeps them informed about important updates. It is a key requirement for building an effective customer support system with personalized assistance and improved communication.
On why we need the launcher
We want to assure you that we won't charge legacy users a monthly fee for a product they already purchased as a one-time payment. However, we do have plans to make Shapelab available outside of Steam and introduce new versions like business and educational plans. The launcher will be the perfect platform for downloading, managing versions and providing a user-friendly interface for launching Shapelab in different versions.
The launcher will not only enable users to launch various versions of Shapelab but also includes helpful links. Additionally, it will manage notifications and, in the future, provide built-in contact forms and communication tools for users to utilize.
Please note that once you register, you don't really have to deal with the launcher if you check the 'Remember Me' checkbox. Once that checkbox is checked and you log in, you will only see the launcher if you look for it in the location where the hidden minimized items are located on the Windows tray.
Also, we have no intention of making a constant internet connection mandatory. Currently, the offline grace period is 30 days, meaning the app needs to go online at least once every 30 days. However, we are open to discussing the appropriate time frame for this requirement, as 30 days is considered more of an industry standard.
On data collection
The only non-anonymous data we have access to is the information you provide (with only the email being mandatory) and limited login dates. When it comes to Steam, we can only see download numbers and daily active users, which are not sufficient for building a sustainable business model. We primarily focus on anonymous data related to monthly active users, median playtime, average playtime, and other relevant metrics across different timeframes.
Neither the international legal environment, our privacy policy, nor our personal and human norms would allow us to sell your data. Furthermore, it would not make sense from a business perspective at all. You can find more information about how we use your data in our privacy policy.
We hope that our intentions are clearer with this explanation. We will also react to the individual comments and discussions that were not yet answered. Please let us know if you have any other concerns or questions.
Again, we are sorry for the inconvenience caused. We hope that you will consider giving the updated Shapelab a chance.
If you own Shapelab and you don’t want to use the latest update, please contact us via [email protected] and we can provide you permanent access to the previous version (February update). Please note that you will not need to log in to use the February version, but it also has less features and will not be updated with new ones.
Best,
Leopoly team