Adobe Captivate 9 to Adobe 2017

Report · Apr 16, 2017

Hi, I just purchased and installed adobe captivate 9.0 just 2 weeks ago only for me to find out that there is now a 2017 release. If I had known I would have waited to purchase and install this latest release since its the same price I paid for a full license. Adobe, is there anyway I can get a free upgrade since I just purchased it. Please any assistance from adobe will be appreciated.

Thanks a lot

Report · Apr 16, 2017

You might be eligible for a complimentary upgrade.

Visit this page and read through to understand the eligibility. Next use the Contact us link also on that page to find out if your purchase falls in the eligibility period.

Paul Wilson, CTDP

Report · Apr 19, 2017

I have a similar issue. But the eligibility period is set for a month. I am lucked out since my purchase was about 3 months ago.

This is really not how to deal with paying customers...If the period longer I could understand. But such a short period. This I don't.

These are no cheap programs and not all of us can afford to buy one in couple of months period.

Upgrading these programs would cost you not that much....How many people would actually have purchased one in the past couple of months?

Report · Apr 19, 2017

The problem you describe is one of the main reasons most people are now purchasing Captivate via the Subscription plan. If you do that, the monthly fee is quite small and you get the latest version of Captivate immediately when it comes out.

That doesn't mean you need to start using it right away. You can still have the previous Captivate version on your system and use that until Adobe has finished ironing out the bugs in the new version. But with the subscription plan you can only ever have the current version and the previous version of Captivate on your system at the same time.

It might be too late for you to change over right now, but it's definitely something to consider before you make your next purchase.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Thank you for your reply.

I am not sure if I will be remain using Adobe.

Adobe does have very nice programs and I was also advocating to others to make use of it too both privately and professional.

In our organization we were recently looking for programs for our e-learning purposes and I was in favor or Adobe since I am using it privately already. Given the attitude of Adobe I will be looking for another program myself let alone encourage another to make use of it….

I am really very disappointed in this...

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Naturally it is of course your personal choice which software you choose to use. But denying yourself the use of an application just because you missed the window of opportunity by a couple of months is only really hurting yourself more than it will hurt Adobe.

Try to imagine...If you purchased a new car, and then three months later the car company released a new model, you would not reasonably expect them to give you a free upgrade, would you?

On balance, let me assure you that Captivate 9, which you now have, is still a very powerful e-learning application and you will find it more than capable of creating excellent e-learning courses. The new features that have arrived in Captivate 2017 are not going to change the landscape of learning all that much. You the course designer and developer are the real power behind the program.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

I am not trying to hurt anyone. Adobe is a billions worth company and i think that they will survive my purchase of couple of hundred dollars. That is not the issue and that is not what I am stating or trying.

Prior to purchase I a have contacted Adobe about this and no message/ information/ signal was given. If done so I would have waited a couple of months in order to have a newer and improve software package.

I am working a couple year with Captivate now. It is indeed a good software, but not the only one. There are other very good programs out there. I think it is is a bit arrogant to state that I am denying myself a great tool. I don't see how I am denying my self anything by making use of another software form another developers such as TalentLMS, Dobeco etc., those are premium developers as well.

I also do not understand your analogy with the car. If i would of saved up money to buy the newest model car and I would have contacted my dealer to ask for the newest and buy the one he had suggested after my careful questions AND he would introduce a newer one couple of months after my purchase, then we would have an issue to solve before the court due to misleading practices. However steep the amount paid for this software is not worth making a legal matter out of it. Also, Adobe does update the already purchased software if it fits in the time frame that is set by Adobe (probably a month or so).

The best I can do is express my discontent and disappointment to all in order to warn them. I have expected a bit more service from a premium seller of software. I am not trying to have a cheap or free software program. I am willing to and have paid for my software. If I was informed I would have waited and bought is now instead of three months earlier...I am very disappointed that's all actually.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

I'm sure Adobe feels duly chastened by your stern warning but I feel they are unlikely to revoke any previous policies forthwith.

Those of us that have been using their software for some years know that the Adobe company never announces the release date of new software versions weeks or months in advance. Even those of us that were on the Captivate 2017 Pre-release Program and had access to Alpha and Beta versions of Captivate 2017 would not have been able to tell you when the new version was finally going to be released. (We were all forbidden to make any comments about it. And besides, none of US knew the actual release date until the day before it happened last week.)

By mentioning TalentLMS I suspect you are talking about using the authoring tools in that LMS and others? I strongly believe you are not comparing "apples with apples" there. You're going to find a vast difference between what an LMS authoring tool allows you to do and what Captivate now does. But as I said above, you are well within your rights to alter your tool of choice.

Good luck with trying to sue a car company because they released a new model three months after you bought the previous model on the showroom at that time. I would not like your chances of success in court, but crazier things have happened in the legal world. (I once heard of a woman successfully suing a major RV company because she was driving down the highway in her brand-new RV and crash-totalled it because she left the driver's seat to make a sandwich back in the kitchen. She claimed the User Manual neglected to warn owners that sort of thing wasn't recommended practice for RV drivers.)

You may have learned an expensive lesson about buying software in this instance. But if you had been on this forum some months ago and asked for advice on the best way to purchase Captivate (given that a new model was due out in the near future), I feel sure most of us would have suggested you went with the Subscription option to be on the safe side. And that's still the advice I would give you right now when the time comes to acquire your next Captivate version.

Report · Apr 19, 2017

Thank you for your clarifying this to me. I have learned my lessons now and will never ever ever do this again....

Since you put it this way, I will ensure to sign up with the online applications...that you keep on mentioning...

To whom it concerns!

Listen to reason as stated above. Do not issue any frustration even if you feel that you are cheated...

Even if you do, then stop complaining and ensure to buy more products of that company not once but on an ongoing basis...

End message....

+++++++++++++++++++++

PS: I will no longer react on your comments. The comments you give are more of finger pointing to me how stupid i have been and that I should feel lucky to be use a Adobe product....This approach maybe works where you come from but not here.

You have nice day.

Report · Aug 07, 2017

Wow, if that had been a reply to my quest for help, I would drop the software, too. I'm just starting with Adobe Captivate and can already see that the online help is nowhere near the quality of Articulate Storyline. Plus, Articulate is so much nicer!!

Report · Aug 07, 2017

Hi,

I apologize for a less than optimal help experience.

Can you please point out the topics/areas where we can improve? Are you looking for something specific?

We need our users and the community to assist and collaborate with us in any which way possible, and your feedback on this will go a long way.

Thanks,

Saurav

Report · Aug 07, 2017

I’ve been a new Captivate 2017 user, playing around with it for maybe a week now. Seeing responses like that one and some others makes me more than a little leery to continue using Captivate. Here’s my thoughts:

1. If you type in a question/topic, all kinds of unrelated stuff appears.

2. Most info seems to be about versions prior to 2017, and I can’t find all the same options as shown in tutorials.

3. Example: Why can’t I see a middle option for “action type=Conditional” when I’m setting advanced actions & variables? I only have Create From and Action Name.

Report · Aug 07, 2017

Just for your last question: the Advanced Actions dialog box has been totally refurbished in CP2017. Here is an article describing all the features of it. I have to find time to upgrade all my blog posts (have a lot about advanced actions) to CP2017, which will take me a lot of hours:

Advanced Actions Dialog box in Captivate 2017 - Captivate blog

Because the While loop is new, several blog posts appeared about it. Here is one from my blo:

Playing a dice game, using While loop - Captivate blog

I totally agree about the very bad search functionality, recommend you use Google search instead.

Report · Aug 07, 2017

Hi,

Please let us know the areas where you find the learning curve to be steeper than usual.

For the online help, here is the resource, Adobe Captivate Learn & Support

We are always there to help you. Please email me your requirements at saghosh@adobe.com.

Thanks,

Saurav

Report · Aug 07, 2017

You seem to misunderstand: this is NOT the online help, this is just a user forum. The answers you see are posted by users, who spend some time trying to help other users. If you want help from Adobe, this is not the right channel. I spend 2-3 hours a day trying to answer questions, without any fee. You have call Adobe for 'support'.

Report · Apr 22, 2017

I had the Captivate 9 Free trial, and asked if I needed to delete the old file before I purchased the new 2017. The chat person said no, and I bought 2017 as a subscription. How do I change my trial 9 to 2017 paid subscription?

Report · Apr 22, 2017

I hope you do see my answer in your thread, because the answer given by John Smith was not for Captivate, but for CC apps.