Articulate 360

With perpetual licenses there always has to be new major versions, (at least over the course of a reasonable amount of time) otherwise the cashflow just isn't there to justify regular updates and enhancements.

That's why SaaS models (like Adobe CC or Articulate 360) are increasingly where the future is going.

Provided Articulate could lower their annual rates (based on years between major versions, about 50% less), this would work out great. I think they'd have everyone on board in a matter of months.

I totally understand the need for cashflow and paid upgrades.  I just think they should make the 2 options compatible. Give subscribers the extra software, but keep the current version of Storyline the same for both tracks.  If there are major features added then make it a paid upgrade if needed, but allow perpetual users to have the current version of the software.  

I was excited, too, until I discovered SL2 files and 360 files are not compatible.  So, if you need to work cross-platform, you can't.   If you want to help a colleague with 360 and you have SL2, you cannot share/open/examine files.  Very disappointing for two versions released so closely together.  Looks like these will continue to be developed along divergent paths.

Hi Erin,

Actually - Storyline 2 was released in 2014.  Articulate have just released Storyline 3.  https://articulate.com/support/article/Storyline-3-FAQs#backward-forward-compatibility

It is very rare for software to have forward compatibility - Articulate are doing a great job with backward compatibility.

Hi Erin,

Simon is correct, and Storyline 3 is compatible with 360 courses FOR THE MOMENT.

In a certain amount of time once 360 has been updated it will stop being cross compatible.

Thanks

Jake

Jake and Simon are spot on. And When Storyline 360's feature set diverges, those files won't open in Storyline 3 if they used the new features. If they didn't take advantage of that, then you'd be able to continue sharing files between Storyline 360 and Storyline 3.

Hi Matthew,

I haven't seen or heard those plans yet, but it's definitely something we'll pass along to our product team! The message would likely be something you'd see when trying to open a file in Storyline 3 if it included the features specific to just Storyline 360. It wouldn't likely be something you'd see as a part of publish since there is no way to reverse engineer the published output. 

From a user and development point of view it would be simpler for everyone if Articulate simply made it so that when a certain version is patched in that it stops being compatible with 3.

Otherwise people are going to find it really different figuring out what they can and can't use in order to retain compatibility.

You might be setting yourself up for a headache there! Probably better to stick with one.

Surely if you have SL360 you don't need SL3?

Ah ok,

Well, it might be difficult to keep it compatible if they keep adding features.

We have met and decided to proceed with Storyline 3; 360 just isn't financially viable for us.

Right.  And I appreciate people chiming in.  We bought SL2 less than 5 months ago.  At no time was 360 marketed to us as the next version or updated version of SL2 -- 360 was presented as a subscription-based (cloud-ish) platform allowing access to all SL2 had to offer, plus additional content (Rise, etc.).  Hence my surprise, particularly since there seemed to be emerging discussion of a possible, though not guaranteed, SL3.  Others to whom I have spoken were told that no further development on a software-based, perpetual license version would take place, which is why they decided to subscribe to 360 (I spoke to them today, and they were shocked SL3 was released, and had no idea it would be based on their discussions with Articulate sales).  So, lots of confusion on the end-user side.

Hi Erin!

You’re absolutely right that Articulate 360 is a separate offering than our perpetual license software.  We are definitely encouraging folks to try out Articulate 360 because we think they’ll benefit from the continuous updates and all the other helpful apps and resources.  But we’re continuing to support our perpetual license software, and we’ve shared our plans to release Storyline 3 in 2017 in many forum discussion like this one. If anyone has questions that they’d like to discuss with us further, please get in touch with our success team by emailing success@articulate.com.

We have a mix of perpetuals (Storyline and Studio) and a couple 360 licenses to start out.  Are there plans to integrate the responsive player in any Studio updates? 

Thanks!

Let's cut to the chase here, can we assume that both Storyline 3 and the version of Storyline available via 360 are and will remain the same, until the next major update?  And that the added benefit of 360 are the additional features such as the images, templates, and other authoring tools.  

It would not make much sense, from a developer standpoint, to develop and maintain two different products on two different update paths.

Our group likes the new features available in the newest version of SL, but we don't currently have any need for all the extras available in the 360 package.  We largely create our own templates, build our own graphics and have images available to us through Adobe CC and BigStock, so many of the "extras" are unnecessary to us at this time.  

And because we work with other vendors, that don't necessarily build in SL, we use a 3rd party online course review product that will accept SCORM packages from a variety of authoring tools, so we also don't have need for the review tool, since it only handles SL projects.

Thanks Joe, summed up beautifully. I would add, when did offering webinars / tutorials become a feature. Is that just marketing?

Just starting using SL3 via my pmp...it was interesting the pressure by my local Articulate reseller to upgrade (upgrade is a relative term in this case) to SL360. I recanted all the same points you have raised. Thx G

Hi, Adam.

We don’t have any plans to add the responsive player to perpetual versions of Studio at this time.

Hi, Joe.

Storyline 3 is the same as Storyline 360 but without Articulate 360 subscription features, such as Content Library and Articulate Review. This means you can open Storyline 3 and Storyline 360 projects interchangeably, which is great when you’re collaborating with other Storyline users.

As Storyline 360 continues to evolve, there will be new features that exist only in Storyline 360. This means you won’t be able to open Storyline 360 projects in Storyline 3 if they include new features specific to Storyline 360. You’ll still be able to open Storyline 360 projects in Storyline 3 if they don’t have Storyline 360–specific features, and you’ll always be able to open Storyline 3 projects in Storyline 360.

Cool, thanks Justin.

A quick update for me ...
I originally said I would never update to 360.  I had no reason to (i.e. I wanted the Big Mac, not the full McMenu), and the cost was quite prohibitive (and still is).  
However, I create quite advanced products in Articulate, and have found that I've 'hit the ceiling' with performance and capability.  

After long conversations with professionals, I discovered that the 360 HTML5 functionality/coding had been rewritten from the ground up.  This got me curious, and after testing side-by-side, my client responded with:
"Wow – we are back on track now. Articulate 360 is the bomb."

I now have Articulate 360.  I still think it's overpriced for what I use it for (I only use Articulate 360 and the Review tools), but it means my products are usable again, and my clients love it.

Keep the conversations going ... critical evaluation is part of the path to continuous improvement :)

PS> I also still use Articulate 2, because I continue to run collaborative projects with clients, and 360 is priced way beyond what is useful for these types of clients.

This is what cable TV companies and cellular companies have done for years in bundling and selling packages. It is being deregulated in Canada so you pick the items you want and pay for those. I would be more inclined with a subscription plan for 360, if it was a la cart, and I could pick the items I wanted at $500 a year rather than having everything thrust upon me including items I would never use at $1000. It's only a great deal if the offerings have value.

The discount for previous versions is for one year only! Then you are right up to 1000! 

I was told a few days ago (now it's August 2017!) by a customer service rep that a decision has not been made as to whether there will be a new release of Studio and Storyline perpetual at all. Please clarify. After using Articulate Studio as my sole elearning dev tools for over ten years, it looks like I'm going to be priced right out of Articulate altogether, unless there will be a new perpetual version, or you allow users to select from a menu of tools for an affordable subscription-based solution.

Hi MT.  

Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation. Customer feedback is instrumental in developing our product roadmap. Based on overwhelming customer demand, we've been focused on delivering continuous updates to Articulate 360 apps and content. In fact, today we just released a bunch of new features to Articulate 360.

That being said, we are paying close attention to demand for perpetual products and have not yet made a decision on future releases.

Well, I'm glad I'm not alone in this. Your software is just too expensive. If I go with Adobe I can get all of Adobe CC (over 10 super useful programs) AND Captivate for the price of your 360. What's up with that?