Making a demo...

[Izeck]

Sorry if this sounds like a ..., um... "special" question (I have a tendency to overlook simple things).

Anyway, here's the question:

What do you guys do when you make a demo?

In my project I have a lot of things that are there, but many of them are not completed. Things like skills are almost nonexistent. I do, however have the world almost completed, all the characters are done. Weapons, armor and items (except for anything I may need to add latter, such as keys etc.) are done as well.

But what throws me of is that there is a LOT missing in the story department, towns are infinished and the whole project has a messy room vibe to it.

What do I need to do so I can make a playable demo for you guys?

Spoiler

A screenshot from my project. Please tell me what you think of the visuals.

PS:
I apologize if I posted this in the wrong section.

 

[Lord Zezrel]

Try using the bit of the story you have now and stop it at a cliff hanger or first boss, thats usually what most games do.

that will get people interested in the rest of the game and look forward to the actual release, but you will need to get at least some of the skills done so the game is playable.

The game looks good btw so far

 

[Izeck]

Try using the bit of the story you have now and stop it at a cliff hanger or first boss, thats usually what most games do.

that will get people interested in the rest of the game and look forward to the actual release, but you will need to get at least some of the skills done so the game is playable.

The game looks good btw so far

Thank you.
About how long should the demo be? Last time my wife play tested, she got as far as the first town and that took her about 1.5 hr.

 

[Lord Zezrel]

that should be fine, as long as some of the main features are shown along the way

 

[Cunechan]

About how long should the demo be? Last time my wife play tested, she got as far as the first town and that took her about 1.5 hr.

A demo could be from 10 minutes to 2/3 hours ^^ You should just warn the player about approximate or guessed playtime so they know what they are dealing with.

Make sure to include a bit of an introduction in the demo, a small bit of gameplay, a few characters or at least the protagonist, make something interesting, something that makes the player want to play the full game when its finished! Good luck with your demo :D I hope this helps at least a bit~

 

[Izeck]

Ok, thank you guys.
I'll work on the skills and a few things. Hopefully I'll have a demo for you all this weekend =]

 

[MinisterJay]

Each demo has its own story, in my case. Some demos are done just to show a new battle style, a new set of images, whereas others are a for longer projects. I use demos to catch attention. Sometimes the story starts at the beginning, and other times, in the middle.