MMF Is bad.
Added 2023-06-12 21:32:44 +0000 UTCI don't usually make posts like this on here, but I kinda, just, had to write this up after this morning.
A lot of you ask why I don't use MMF, or you already know that I have very little respect (read: none) for MyMiniFactory as a platform, and I feel I have a pretty decently sizeable platform to vocalize this too.
Some of you may know about the issues/bugs/glitches/theft that occur on the Artists side of things but if you don't MMF has done it all, from lying about The_51's kickstarter (charged people 8 times, and the numbers reflected this, and then...charged them back for it, but left the numbers the same cause it looked better), straight up stealing money from artists when tribes started up, giving away PuppetsofWars entire catalogue, none of there errors were compensated or even publically acknowledged, and this is all I can think of off the top of my head. And now what might be one of their most egregious oversteps, asking my fellow artist Stationforge about doing a free month, not even waiting for them to reply to this question, and then just, doing it anyway. And then they advertised it to literally basically anyone with an MMF linked email. This will ultimately result in a decent loss of income, on Stationforges end as well as a continual complete breach of trust between the Artists and the Platform.
I will Never use MMF and this, and many other incidents, just further cements that position. They are a disaster fire of a platform for Artists, and it sucks that they are one of the only platforms in this space.
I am at a loss for words with the absolute gall of this situation. Every time I see an artist describe a new thing MMF did to them, it's progressively worse. They're constantly pressing the envelope of what they can get away with, and it makes me incredibly sad to see.
TL:DR Stationforge didn't authorize the free month that MMF has been advertising, and are set to lose a substantial chunk of revenue from this, so please do not take them up on their offer.
~Pipes
Comments
Jeez that sucks... Do they only sell their stl on MMF? They are going to be my go to for space bugs model but it seems like we cannot buy their model on PWG..?
Alex 🐏
2024-01-29 19:47:14 +0000 UTCWow, I had no idea how scummy MMF is…..and I’ve purchased plenty of Stationforge. I will not take any freebies from here on out.
Jason Bagley
2023-07-23 02:05:19 +0000 UTCThank you for this post. I've been using MMF for a while now but never realised just how crappy they have been. I had been considering moving my Patreon over to MMF Tribes, but given this revelation, I think I'll stick with Patreon.
Alan
2023-07-02 11:45:12 +0000 UTCI'm disappointed to hear MMF did this, but not surprised. For months I was writing them, saying, "Hey, your '1 month free' messages look deceptively similar to your 'claim rewards' eMails. As someone who backs many patreons, they blur together and I ALMOST click to sign up for something I don't want every time. You need to stop this. There should at a minimum be a way to unsubscribe from these; that's a legal requirement for unsolicited eMail, which these are." And that's always gone unacknowledged, and they kept sending the (deceptive, IMHO) Tribes eMails.
Thornhenge
2023-06-19 12:47:30 +0000 UTCThen un sub and go away
BelZeqihr
2023-06-15 05:52:08 +0000 UTCPersonally I think all of the sites have their own unique troubles and the bigger the site the more often they are noticeable. One thing I will not ask any artist is why don't you use (insert hosting site here) or why in the world would you use (insert hosting site here) its your business. The upside of sites that offer a library is you have an extra backup and I have shifted away from artists that only use direct downloads in Patreon messages. I want to support artists, but I am more prone to support ones who understand that hard drives fail, files get corrupted, etc and who offer hosting on a site with a library.
Malthus Malfoy
2023-06-15 01:08:07 +0000 UTCYeah, I've been on Patreon for nearly four years at this point. When I stopped downloading all the files it was helpful, but I've definitely been regretting that decision a bit lately. I don't even have all of yours downloaded. With updates and such, it saves a lot of headaches. And then there's the space. I estimate I have 3 or 4 TB of models online. It's certainly a concern of mine that may have to be rectified though.
Jason Pedersen
2023-06-14 19:20:39 +0000 UTCI see the comment a lot that "well it's where I store my files." Like they haven't done the above, or that these sites will *always* be there. But if any one of them where to ever go down, then all the files hosted there would be gone as well with little to no recourse. It's not a guarantee, so I always think it's a bit of an I odd statement when it's made.
Poyper
2023-06-14 18:00:27 +0000 UTCThe sooner you start, the less chance you'll lose as much! I bought a 2TB external SSD to hold it all, but I'm now running out of room!
Peter Lewis
2023-06-14 12:29:12 +0000 UTCThank you for the insights. Then I better not move over to MMF myself.
Florian Wortmann
2023-06-13 22:38:19 +0000 UTCThey do make me nervous, holding all of my STLs on their site. I've been subbed to Patreons for YEARS that use MMF for distribution and just hove the bandwidth or time to download everything and store it locally. We've seen companies like Apple and Amazon just remove access to people items that they bought and paid for, because....reasons?? Maybe I should rethink that downloading though. There's just so, SO much. :(
Jason Pedersen
2023-06-13 18:06:42 +0000 UTCTbh Gumroad's had a subscription option for years before MMF even thought about it. Issues I've had with MMF are that sometimes files will disappear randomly from your Library then you have to contact the artist to get them added again. Another is sometimes for some odd reason the file can read it's corrupted on download. Also with Gumroad compared to MMF if the artist removes the files from their store it still stays in your Library since you paid for it or they have it taken down for whatever reason. MMF it's just gone sometimes no contest period even in the case of an artist fighting a takedown that isn't justified. If you decide the Merchant option Gumroad's got an advantage with several price options per one listing also. Have had a couple sculptors have issues with them but less than MMF.
WarjackedsWorkshop
2023-06-13 12:06:03 +0000 UTCYet you're paying to be here
Rancorusia
2023-06-13 10:32:35 +0000 UTCI was a member of Puppetwar when they released the entire catalogue. They then removed everybody's access to everything, which I didn't even know was possible, that's happened a few times over the past 6 months with different artists. I thought I could use MMF as a storage area, but that's an illusion, it can all be taken away. Had this last month which left me scratching my head as to why: "Infinitedimensionsgames invite you exclusively to redeem Free One Month Trial to Infinitedimensionsgames’s Tribe!" Maybe the same thing occurred. MMF released Tribes to compete with Patreon and had a massive opportunity to raise the bar, but alas it's rubbish as a platform. MMF released Frontiers to compete with Kickstarter. That surely wasn't hard to improve upon their interface, especially focused on 3D printing. Nope. it's worse. oooh, yeah, I'm a paying customer, so throw more rubbish adverts in my face that are always irrelevant and usually aid in crashing the page. I'm not a big fan, but usability and user interface can take a back step if so many users keep using the platform - take Facebook, they rarely invest in improving the interface or fixing bugs, and how much money are they rolling in? Until something better comes along with a good marketing push behind it, I'm afraid we're stuck with these cowboys. Thank you Piper for not going down the easy route with MMF. CG&T isn't a fantastic interface, but it works and no adverts - yay!
Peter Lewis
2023-06-13 08:48:13 +0000 UTCIf people are constantly asking why he doesn't host on MMF, it is ok from him to say why he doesn't want to host. If, after reading all of this you have comment like that, only explanation I have is: you either got brain removal surgery or you are a garbage person. I really hope it's the first one...
Frane
2023-06-13 06:48:22 +0000 UTCThis can’t happen soon enough. I spent the better part of two days trying to download all of my PiperMakes and StationForge files from CG&T. As a UX designer I die a little on the inside every time I load up the site.
SpiffmasterPrime
2023-06-13 04:03:54 +0000 UTCI've looked at MMF for my stuff before now and yeah, I get you.
Andy Betony
2023-06-13 03:50:39 +0000 UTCPatreon has hosted sexually explicit images of children. And done many other shady things over the years, no better than MMF. Your whole "holier-than-thou, I am the righteous, moral creator" schtick it getting pretty annoying.
Bradley Westover
2023-06-13 02:09:29 +0000 UTCThat’s horrible. Station Forge has such an excellent catalog. Complete bullshit MMF gave away their stuff. I appreciate ya letting us know. I had no idea MMF did all these things before today.
Justin Bisig
2023-06-12 23:59:07 +0000 UTCI've considered that - not sure folks go there for STLs but I like the site.
KillMeForPrizes
2023-06-12 23:51:08 +0000 UTCYeah I've got my fingers crossed for the changes there!
KillMeForPrizes
2023-06-12 23:50:40 +0000 UTCValidate which part? MMF has been scrambling for the past hour or so to retcon this out of existence, but I've got screengrabs of the email, statements from Stationforge, (although I'm not sure they want those discord posts public), and corroboration between me, and a decent chunk of the 3D artist community, we all talk to each other much to some folks surprise xD ~Pipes
Poyper
2023-06-12 23:26:42 +0000 UTCI went to check just to fact check the statement and I can't validate that claim unless they changed it back hella quick.
Projekt Darkside
2023-06-12 23:20:22 +0000 UTC:(
DeMante
2023-06-12 22:41:50 +0000 UTCAt the moment currently no, which is one of the more frustrating parts of this ~Pipes
Poyper
2023-06-12 22:40:07 +0000 UTCWhat about Printables new paided tier?
LibertyBeta
2023-06-12 22:33:40 +0000 UTCAfter looking though Stationforges catalog, I want to buy some of his stuff, but I don't want to give MMF money. Does Stationforge sell on any other site?
DeMante
2023-06-12 22:32:45 +0000 UTCOof, if that's the case I'll avoid the offer. Dang. CG&T has worked well enough. I mean I only interact with them once a month to download files.
Aaron H
2023-06-12 22:21:00 +0000 UTCThat's kind of where I am too. But I also make efforts to keep backups everywhere... But yeah, a "download library" option would be solid.
Bex Ciantelli
2023-06-12 22:20:32 +0000 UTCIt made me think about downloading everything i have on MMF for local storage, but the reality is it's too much. It's probably a few terrabyte and there is no bulk download functionality on MMF (probably to lock people in)...
Alexander
2023-06-12 22:18:52 +0000 UTCGood old drivethrurpg. I'm maybe kidding, no idea if they are good or not. But its a 3th option, i have quite a few files in my library there.
Alexander
2023-06-12 22:16:38 +0000 UTCCG&T may not be as slick but it functions just fine and I go where the artists go. I need online storage as I could not possibly store everything I've purchased myself. That's my only major request.
Bacour
2023-06-12 22:13:30 +0000 UTCI like Stationforge, but not usually enough to back them. I think this month I will, just to make sure they can stay afloat.
Bacour
2023-06-12 22:09:21 +0000 UTCWoah, that's a pretty dick move for them to do to station forge, or any tribes. Thanks for bringing it to us pipe
Benjamin VanOrden
2023-06-12 22:07:16 +0000 UTCWow. Thank you for letting us know. I, like others, didn't know about all the dishonorable business practices they do. I recently joined stationforge patreon a couple months ago and I was happy to receive their models from their CGT linked store. I now regret every purchase I made on mmf. Thankfully most of mine are from other online shops, though they maybe just as bad I don't know. Sadly.
Soulwraith
2023-06-12 22:06:04 +0000 UTCWow... I've heard of them making mistakes and such, but this is a completely different level.
Kyle Bentley
2023-06-12 21:58:57 +0000 UTCJesus fuck. I wasn't aware of any of that.
Gage
2023-06-12 21:55:45 +0000 UTCCG&T Is undergoing a full swap of management in July, from being literally a one person operation, to having a handful of folks working on the dev side of the site. Things should be getting better there~ ~Pipes
Poyper
2023-06-12 21:55:44 +0000 UTCAs someone with both a patreon and a MMF tribes as well as using both MMF and CG&T I can't come to MMF's defense for their poor behavior. That being said from my end as a creator their system works very well on the backend, say vs CG&T which is an archaic nightmare that often just doesn't work and from a customer CG&T sucks to navigate and download from. I wish there was 3rd option - something with the easy store of MMF but without all the extra stuff they are pushing. Regardless - it's totally understandable why you don't use it and it's good of you to bring these issues to the public attention.
KillMeForPrizes
2023-06-12 21:51:58 +0000 UTCThat’s absolutely egregious, I had absolutely no idea. Unfortunately the only way I can buy previous prints from Stationforge is through MMF, I won’t be buying anymore on there but I sure hope they move their prints over too CGT.
JordSword
2023-06-12 21:42:08 +0000 UTCI just got the email, and I hate how they're pushing tribes so much. It wouldn't shock me if the other tribes trials they've been pushing are similar boat... Like I've had Mammoth and a few others I might have considered show up as random "free" emails. Plus that issue with PuppetsWar's entire catalog being removed as a bug and then having to re-add everything a little while back was a big concern.
Bex Ciantelli
2023-06-12 21:40:21 +0000 UTCJeez.. I didn’t know it was that bad.. I’m going to start looking into alternatives for supporting the artists I follow on there
Everflame
2023-06-12 21:37:47 +0000 UTC
