Demo's

[LTN Games]

I'm curious about how other people go about making their demo games. Is there a specific way you create your demos? How long would you say a Demo game should be? Do you start your demo at the beginning of the game or do you start it in the middle or somewhere different. I'd like to hear what you do, so I hope to hear some good discussion.

 

[MinisterJay]

I'm curious about how other people go about making their demo games. Is there a specific way you create your demos? How long would you say a Demo game should be? Do you start your demo at the beginning of the game or do you start it in the middle or somewhere different. I'd like to hear what you do, so I hope to hear some good discussion.

This is a great question, because I am going to be making a demo for one of my current projects. Sometimes, I think, it may be in the best interest, of a game, that is intended for commercial release, to NOT start at the beginning. I think finding a place that may get gamers 'hooked' to want more would be a good place to start the demo. I have a friend that has their game selling now on Steam, and in the demo, it was no where near, the actual beginning of the game. That is the great part about being able to 'set charcter starting location', it can be anywhere in the game.

 

[LTN Games]

Interesting, So I'm assuming when a developer starts creating their game they start at the beginning like I do, so if the demo is somewhere after the beginning this would mean the demo would take a lot longer to release than I expected. Unless some developers start making a demo before they proceed with the rest of the game. Thanks for the input @MinisterJay. I hope to hear from more people as well, it's good to get more perspectives.

 

[Trumully]

Yea, I myself would have to agree with @MinisterJay. Demos, from what I've seen, are a booster to hook and hype up players for the game and to basically show what you are capable of creating, so that is what hypes players and hooks them in my honest opinion. And yes, you wouldn't start at the beginning nor the end as it could spoil plot, so starting in the middle is ideal. That's my perspective of demos.

 

[Bizarre Monkey]

I'm curious about how other people go about making their demo games. Is there a specific way you create your demos? How long would you say a Demo game should be? Do you start your demo at the beginning of the game or do you start it in the middle or somewhere different. I'd like to hear what you do, so I hope to hear some good discussion.

I usually start at the beginning, go for about fifteen mins to an hour, introduce enough of the interesting elements to make players crave more, than deliver on that more.

Not a cliffhanger if I can avoid it, as I find that's kind of cheap.

 

[Cunechan]

i always make my games in chapters and i make the introduction long enough with enough gameplay and dialogues to get a look to the game and to show the characters traits and several little plots. Like really little plots, daily plots but they change like everything since the characters are really "special". After you get to know the characters slowly i make a big big plottwist and a cliffhanger at the end of the chapter which makes you think a lot. But it'll come so slowly and you won't even notice since its totally not obvious.
Not one of these "We have to go back to the cottage bc the dark lord is back. Oh no the dark lord is coming and going to kill us all. Oh no, he killed Lukas" more like "Ok, let's get back to the cottage.
Shit
Lukas... Where's your left arm?"
Like when you get distracted by sth and realize you forgot about something. Idk how to explain, probably have to show it.
But I don't really think about where to start I just start my game from the beginning