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HOW FAR ALONG IN PRODUCTION TO MAKE A GAME PAGE?
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unity
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CloseHello everyone! I'm moving along on a new project and I've never launched a game on this site before, which got me thinking...
When do most people create game pages on the site for their games? As soon as the project starts and they have some screenshots? Or do most people wait until either a demo is ready or maybe even nearing game completion?
Also, I have a newbie side-question related to this: Is it okay to put up a beta version of the game you're working on that probably still has bugs and such as long as you let them know upfront? Thanks!
When do most people create game pages on the site for their games? As soon as the project starts and they have some screenshots? Or do most people wait until either a demo is ready or maybe even nearing game completion?
Also, I have a newbie side-question related to this: Is it okay to put up a beta version of the game you're working on that probably still has bugs and such as long as you let them know upfront? Thanks!
SnowOwl
5188
It's up to you, really. You do need to have some screenshots, I guess, or your game page won't get accepted.
Personally I've done a little bit of each.
Some games I made I put up a gamepage almost right away, and some I put up when it was done or very close to done.
I can't say I've noticed any big difference in interest, really.
If you want some early feedback it doesn't hurt to put it up when you got something you would like people to offer opinions on, I guess.
Personally I've done a little bit of each.
Some games I made I put up a gamepage almost right away, and some I put up when it was done or very close to done.
I can't say I've noticed any big difference in interest, really.
If you want some early feedback it doesn't hurt to put it up when you got something you would like people to offer opinions on, I guess.
It usually varies from person to person, but most people will usually create a game page once they’ve started, gotten a little ways in, have a playable demo, and some people usually wait right up until the game is completed.
My three rules of thumb before even creating a game page is this:
RULE 1: The game needs to have some form of gameplay.
Duh. If you just started working on your game or have nothing to showcase but menus, menus and more menus (unless the game is strictly wrapped around those sort of menus in some way), then you’re not ready for a game page yet. But if you have a little bit of something to show, then you’re good.
RULE 2: The game needs to have some significant amount of progress completed.
Varies, but usually around 25% - 50% of the game should be completed just to be safe. More content means more stuff to showcase. And even if you’re god awfully slow at making your game(s) (like me), you can delay and hype the crap out all the stuff you’ve already done so far for a while until you ready to showcase more. (It also makes it look like you're actually moving at the speed of light when in reality your as slow as a slug.)
RULE 3: This game needs to have a strong chance of you actually finishing it.
This isn’t really a necessary thing, considering most of the game profiles here never truly get finished or just produce a lousy demo, but it’s something to shoot for. You want people who play your games to go like, “Yeah. I can get on the bandwagon because he / she usually finishes his or her games.” If you’re close to completing your game and you know you’ll probably finish it, then do a game page.
This is just my personal criteria, but I think as long as you have a considerable amount of content done and three viable screenshots – your good to go!
Yeah, that’s fine, as long as you make mention of all that. Actually, having a beta version already done is better than just having nothing.
My three rules of thumb before even creating a game page is this:
RULE 1: The game needs to have some form of gameplay.
Duh. If you just started working on your game or have nothing to showcase but menus, menus and more menus (unless the game is strictly wrapped around those sort of menus in some way), then you’re not ready for a game page yet. But if you have a little bit of something to show, then you’re good.
RULE 2: The game needs to have some significant amount of progress completed.
Varies, but usually around 25% - 50% of the game should be completed just to be safe. More content means more stuff to showcase. And even if you’re god awfully slow at making your game(s) (like me), you can delay and hype the crap out all the stuff you’ve already done so far for a while until you ready to showcase more. (It also makes it look like you're actually moving at the speed of light when in reality your as slow as a slug.)
RULE 3: This game needs to have a strong chance of you actually finishing it.
This isn’t really a necessary thing, considering most of the game profiles here never truly get finished or just produce a lousy demo, but it’s something to shoot for. You want people who play your games to go like, “Yeah. I can get on the bandwagon because he / she usually finishes his or her games.” If you’re close to completing your game and you know you’ll probably finish it, then do a game page.
This is just my personal criteria, but I think as long as you have a considerable amount of content done and three viable screenshots – your good to go!
author=unity
Is it okay to put up a beta version of the game you're working on that probably still has bugs and such as long as you let them know upfront? Thanks!
Yeah, that’s fine, as long as you make mention of all that. Actually, having a beta version already done is better than just having nothing.
I don't think you should put off making a general gamepage as long as you have some maps or special graphics or features to showcase. Especially for a contest, getting one up early on is important to build hype (coming from the guy who had to cancel his Halloween game within the first two weeks). As for uploading a demo or beta, I'd hold off until you have a decent sized area for the player to wander around in, or have some features up and running.
Lihinel
968
Though question, for my first game I waited till I had it more or less completed, for my second one I posted it as soon as I got the general concept finished and the first gameplay to show off.
I really don't know which is better, but the second allows you to gather feedback on systems you design and may put you under a bit of pressure not to cancel, so it might be worth it.
On the other hand, if you are used to canceling most games you work on it might be better to keep it wraped.
I really don't know which is better, but the second allows you to gather feedback on systems you design and may put you under a bit of pressure not to cancel, so it might be worth it.
On the other hand, if you are used to canceling most games you work on it might be better to keep it wraped.
I say make a game page if you have a download available, or if you have a great first impression to offer, then you could add the dl later on.
Thanks for all the responses :D
Hmm... I guess I'll probably hold off on making a page until I have a lot of content. At least enough to give the feel of the game I'm making. Addit's "25% - 50%" done range sounds like a good ballpark goal to get before putting it up.
Hmm... I guess I'll probably hold off on making a page until I have a lot of content. At least enough to give the feel of the game I'm making. Addit's "25% - 50%" done range sounds like a good ballpark goal to get before putting it up.
I've definitely posted gamepages where the only things I had at the time were the screenshots and the description. I've also submitted gamepages where the game was pretty much done on arrival. Hall of Lost Souls comes to mind on this point, but there might have been others?
Regardless, I seem to be echoing the idea that having a game ready, or close enough, is a sign that it's gamepage time!
Regardless, I seem to be echoing the idea that having a game ready, or close enough, is a sign that it's gamepage time!
author=Addit
RULE 3: This game needs to have a strong chance of you actually finishing it.
This isn’t really a necessary thing, considering most of the game profiles here never truly get finished or just produce a lousy demo, but it’s something to shoot for. You want people who play your games to go like, “Yeah. I can get on the bandwagon because he / she usually finishes his or her games.” If you’re close to completing your game and you know you’ll probably finish it, then do a game page.
This is pretty much the only criteria I really follow. I don't want to have a bunch of gamepages with no downloads and no chance the project will ever be finished. (Although right now I'm 1 for 5)
Anyway, my only other criteria is I want to have my game's core established strongly enough that the game won't change drastically after I put up the page. Systems may change, but the game's not going to go from an RPG to a First-Person Shooter, etc.
eplipswich
2728
My policy is to have a demo ready for release before making a game page. Though 25% - 50% may be a bit too much content? I think at least have a tech demo will do. (One hour of gameplay is good too like Nessiah said).
SnowOwl
5188
author=Archeia_NessiahWhat if the game is only one hour long?
IMO at least have one hour of gameplay <:3c
Not everyone makes massive 50 hour rpgs.
In my case, I'm planning around 4 to 6 hours of content.
Given the fact that the game will be relatively short, I'm thinking of not bothering with the demo and making the first version the beta version.
author=eplipswich
My policy is to have a demo ready for release before making a game page. Though 25% - 50% may be a bit too much content? I think at least have a tech demo will do. (One hour of gameplay is good too like Nessiah said).
Given the fact that the game will be relatively short, I'm thinking of not bothering with the demo and making the first version the beta version.
author=SnowOwlauthor=Archeia_NessiahWhat if the game is only one hour long?
IMO at least have one hour of gameplay <:3c
Not everyone makes massive 50 hour rpgs.
That's actually the length of the full games I have released and that's really when the gamepage becomes public. (Before beta testing)
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
If you make a game page as soon as you have some screenshots, you can start posting screenshots as Wanting Feedback and get some good advice on them, as well as start making blog posts to get feedback and assistance on your design.
Also, a lot of people, myself included, just like seeing in-progress projects. Helps liven up the site. Though I guess the flip side is that there are a lot of projects that never get anywhere close to being finished.
Also, a lot of people, myself included, just like seeing in-progress projects. Helps liven up the site. Though I guess the flip side is that there are a lot of projects that never get anywhere close to being finished.
Huh, I hadn't thought about the "seeing the progress" aspect. Though there's that versus the "if there's already a download there, you know at least that some measure of work is done" and, I'd assume, that the person is more likely to finish the project.
Hmmm. I'm back to being uncertain about it. Ah well, when the time comes when I have enough content for a page, then maybe I'll have come to a conclusion. (And I totally get the silliness of the fact that worrying about when to make the page is pretty insignificant versus actually getting the game done :D )
Hmmm. I'm back to being uncertain about it. Ah well, when the time comes when I have enough content for a page, then maybe I'll have come to a conclusion. (And I totally get the silliness of the fact that worrying about when to make the page is pretty insignificant versus actually getting the game done :D )
Lucy_Fox
1872
I made my gamepage a few weeks before the first demo was finished.
Just to show the idea first. And after that the demo.
I also think that the length of a demo depends of the maximum length of your final game. If it has 20 or more hours of gameplay, than an hour or more would be great.
But as an example: my game will have 4-6 hous of gameplay in the end -> so the first demo ist just about half an hour.
You can create the page also to shoh how much you get better while you are making your game. So that would be a good reason to make an early gamepage....
But in the end, it is really up to you.
Just to show the idea first. And after that the demo.
I also think that the length of a demo depends of the maximum length of your final game. If it has 20 or more hours of gameplay, than an hour or more would be great.
But as an example: my game will have 4-6 hous of gameplay in the end -> so the first demo ist just about half an hour.
You can create the page also to shoh how much you get better while you are making your game. So that would be a good reason to make an early gamepage....
But in the end, it is really up to you.
As already stated, very much a personal choice. Make a gamepage whenever you feel like it. That being said, consider what you hope to get out of public exposure.
If you do manage to attract any attention, it can be very motivating to have people invested in seeing you finish. Feeling like someone cares about the potential final product is both flattering and inspiring! Even if you don't attract attention, you can feel like you're making progress through something as small as regular blog posts keeping track of what you do week-to-week or month-to-month or whatever. There are a lot of ways you can use the public exposure for motivation and encouragement to keep working! And if you choose to write about game mechanics or something, you open yourself up to the potential for useful feedback.
The downside to this is that they can be rather soul-sucking, at least in my personal experience. Making a gamepage early in development can be a good way to receive feedback when the project is in its malleable baby stages, where things aren't so set in and it's easier to change. But it means cranking up the hype machine early, and overall I feel the earlier you go public, the more stress. The more time people have to speculate about your game, the more time they have to build up expectations (or lack of expectation/expecting your game to be shit, as the case may be!) that can't be proven/disproven until there's something playable.
After a while, it gets daunting if you start thinking along the lines of "what will I tell people this week", especially if you haven't been making much progress. (And for me, it gets downright embarrassing to be all "sorry, no progress!" week after week, or just lapse into periods of silence.) It's easy to end up with anxiety about being perceived as vaporware, or actually ending up as vaporware, depending on how your project goes.
I think of gamepages as having two sides to them - they're a way to gather feedback on your game by posting information about it, but they're also a way for you to promote your game, and it's this part of a gamepage that can be exhausting.
I don't make gamepages for projects for two reasons.
1) When in need of feedback, I'm lucky enough to know smart folks I can ask personally, be it about game design or art direction or writing or all kinds of topics. Ah-haha, I'm very lucky! But don't underestimate friends as a source of feedback, if you keep the kind of critical sort of friends I do. Even aside from that, friends can also be a source of encouragement, if you're just lacking motivation and it feels like no one cares. Probably one of your friends will! We all need cheerleaders sometimes, especially when your own internal critic is beating you down.
2) I don't have projects complete enough that I'd consider them "ready for public"! To me, this means something playable. At the very least, a demo that showcases all the core gameplay elements, so I could receive feedback on those elements.
Other considerations: If you're new to making games and just kind of noodling around, it can be VERY helpful to make a game page, because you open yourself up to feedback from people who have been doing this for a while. They can give you advice about common "first project" blunders, but you also open yourself up to criticism. If you don't think you'd be okay dealing with that (even harsh crit, it happens!) then you might want to hold off on a public gamepage. This last sentence applies even if you consider yourself a seasoned veteran.
Dropping a 100% completed game on folks can sometimes result in it being overlooked, if there's 0% hype beforehand. Hype is the devil, but the devil is pretty good at tempting folks.
There's nothing wrong with working in private, or even finishing games in private! For some folks game dev is just a hobby for relaxation or feeling productive, or you might think you're going to make the Citizen Kane of games. But if you want to share your work, then you should see if you have enough worth sharing ("Something playable that shows all core gameplay" is still my standard) and keep in mind the pros and cons of public exposure!
Don't mind the essay; hope that helps!
If you do manage to attract any attention, it can be very motivating to have people invested in seeing you finish. Feeling like someone cares about the potential final product is both flattering and inspiring! Even if you don't attract attention, you can feel like you're making progress through something as small as regular blog posts keeping track of what you do week-to-week or month-to-month or whatever. There are a lot of ways you can use the public exposure for motivation and encouragement to keep working! And if you choose to write about game mechanics or something, you open yourself up to the potential for useful feedback.
The downside to this is that they can be rather soul-sucking, at least in my personal experience. Making a gamepage early in development can be a good way to receive feedback when the project is in its malleable baby stages, where things aren't so set in and it's easier to change. But it means cranking up the hype machine early, and overall I feel the earlier you go public, the more stress. The more time people have to speculate about your game, the more time they have to build up expectations (or lack of expectation/expecting your game to be shit, as the case may be!) that can't be proven/disproven until there's something playable.
After a while, it gets daunting if you start thinking along the lines of "what will I tell people this week", especially if you haven't been making much progress. (And for me, it gets downright embarrassing to be all "sorry, no progress!" week after week, or just lapse into periods of silence.) It's easy to end up with anxiety about being perceived as vaporware, or actually ending up as vaporware, depending on how your project goes.
I think of gamepages as having two sides to them - they're a way to gather feedback on your game by posting information about it, but they're also a way for you to promote your game, and it's this part of a gamepage that can be exhausting.
I don't make gamepages for projects for two reasons.
1) When in need of feedback, I'm lucky enough to know smart folks I can ask personally, be it about game design or art direction or writing or all kinds of topics. Ah-haha, I'm very lucky! But don't underestimate friends as a source of feedback, if you keep the kind of critical sort of friends I do. Even aside from that, friends can also be a source of encouragement, if you're just lacking motivation and it feels like no one cares. Probably one of your friends will! We all need cheerleaders sometimes, especially when your own internal critic is beating you down.
2) I don't have projects complete enough that I'd consider them "ready for public"! To me, this means something playable. At the very least, a demo that showcases all the core gameplay elements, so I could receive feedback on those elements.
Other considerations: If you're new to making games and just kind of noodling around, it can be VERY helpful to make a game page, because you open yourself up to feedback from people who have been doing this for a while. They can give you advice about common "first project" blunders, but you also open yourself up to criticism. If you don't think you'd be okay dealing with that (even harsh crit, it happens!) then you might want to hold off on a public gamepage. This last sentence applies even if you consider yourself a seasoned veteran.
Dropping a 100% completed game on folks can sometimes result in it being overlooked, if there's 0% hype beforehand. Hype is the devil, but the devil is pretty good at tempting folks.
There's nothing wrong with working in private, or even finishing games in private! For some folks game dev is just a hobby for relaxation or feeling productive, or you might think you're going to make the Citizen Kane of games. But if you want to share your work, then you should see if you have enough worth sharing ("Something playable that shows all core gameplay" is still my standard) and keep in mind the pros and cons of public exposure!
Don't mind the essay; hope that helps!
orochii
6740
At least for this community, I think the following. This is a place where more than 99% of users are developers. If I'm between fellow developers, the first thing I think is about getting feedback from them, as they can help me, and they know what is it like of making a game. So I would make the gamepage as soon as I have something to test at least.
Still, I made my gamepage without even a release, but that's also fine. Sometimes you're making stuff (like interfaces and the such), and you need some opinions on it. Again, anyone here knows how things are done and how they start.
The thing is having *something*, substantial of course, you don't throw two lines referring to what you thought last night before going to bed.
Still, I made my gamepage without even a release, but that's also fine. Sometimes you're making stuff (like interfaces and the such), and you need some opinions on it. Again, anyone here knows how things are done and how they start.
The thing is having *something*, substantial of course, you don't throw two lines referring to what you thought last night before going to bed.
I've regarded this site as a kind of DeviantArt for game making, as intricately-coded as it is. Prospective developers can create a game page in order to stoke interest, but it looks shoddy if the game is never finished, even if it isn't a commercial game. Nicely-polished games aren't week-long or even month-long artworks, but endeavors that often take years.
"Don't cash in your desire to have your work validated early" has been my personal rule. If you're at 20% completion and get a lot of bad feedback (or no feedback), you might not feel inclined to pursue development further, even if the feedback might not represent the feelings of the total population that would download your game. If you get to, say, 80% completion, and then get lots of bad feedback (or no feedback), you might as well finish the game and fulfill the vision you initially set out to create.
On the other hand, I do think that getting the game's name out there is crucial advertising. So it's up to your discretion as a developer to strike a balance.
Too much completion, and it might be overlooked or too irrelevant to the community.
Too little completion, and you run the risk of cashing in the interest too early to complete the game... others' interest, and your own.
"Don't cash in your desire to have your work validated early" has been my personal rule. If you're at 20% completion and get a lot of bad feedback (or no feedback), you might not feel inclined to pursue development further, even if the feedback might not represent the feelings of the total population that would download your game. If you get to, say, 80% completion, and then get lots of bad feedback (or no feedback), you might as well finish the game and fulfill the vision you initially set out to create.
On the other hand, I do think that getting the game's name out there is crucial advertising. So it's up to your discretion as a developer to strike a balance.
Too much completion, and it might be overlooked or too irrelevant to the community.
Too little completion, and you run the risk of cashing in the interest too early to complete the game... others' interest, and your own.
