Can you do more harm then good if you release a Demo early?

[Azdak]

When do you think is the best time to release a Demo of your project?
Can you do more harm then good if you release it early?


Do you think it's OK to release something that is still a working progress?
Would it annoy you if the treasure chests were all empty and you could walk through bits of wall?
Would it put you off if it was not spell checked?
Enemys not balanced.

 

[Magus Gar Kan]

Well, not all things are equally as damaging.

Incomplete quests, lack of items, imbalanced enemies... those are all fine.

Glitches and errors that should be basic quality control... Improperly set tile behavior for instance, should not fall into the public's hands.

Work in progress is fine, but that should only extend to game content, not glitches and bugs. Even if something is incomplete, what you do put in should be at the highest standard you can do at the time.

 

[Xyphien]

Well, not all things are equally as damaging.

Incomplete quests, lack of items, imbalanced enemies... those are all fine.

Glitches and errors that should be basic quality control... Improperly set tile behavior for instance, should not fall into the public's hands.

Work in progress is fine, but that should only extend to game content, not glitches and bugs. Even if something is incomplete, what you do put in should be at the highest standard you can do at the time.

I completely agree with this! A lot of games, including AAA titles come out with demos that are half made which is fine, but the amount of bugs, glitches, and other content that makes even the demo itself unplayable can lead to people not getting your game on release.

 

[Kurito14]

When do you think is the best time to release a Demo of your project?

When you allow test players to test your game and check to make sure something is errors. I think it is ok, just make clear that you are still developing. I believe they call early release testing if you are strong enough to stand the criticism not just constructive criticism from strangers.

It is good ideas to let other people you know playtest 2 to 3 times before you released it to the public. So, you can fix the problem at hand. I am concerned with damage your feeling more than reputation. People who pose comments can be hurtful sometimes.