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WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO RELEASE A GAME?
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RedMask
1139
RedMask
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CloseI'm working on a new game. Last time I made a game page and almost immediately uploaded a completed game. I had to release a number of updates in months that followed due to glitches and a need for feedback from community members.
It's most recent update was a really good one and even though I'm still open to updates I think this version is something I can be proud of. But my first game had a rocky start so ...
For my new game I'm thinking I'll make the game page upload a tester demo than release a public demo later. But I'm not sure if that's the best way to do things either. Will people lose interest if the uploads take too long. But I really want to do a demo first because the main game might take me a long while to make.
So as the title asks,
What's the best way to release a game?
It's most recent update was a really good one and even though I'm still open to updates I think this version is something I can be proud of. But my first game had a rocky start so ...
For my new game I'm thinking I'll make the game page upload a tester demo than release a public demo later. But I'm not sure if that's the best way to do things either. Will people lose interest if the uploads take too long. But I really want to do a demo first because the main game might take me a long while to make.
So as the title asks,
What's the best way to release a game?
I think it's definitely good to have testers. Whether you just contact people who played and liked your last game to test this one and find bugs, or if you create a private page and only invite those you trust, it's good to get bugs ironed out before you release.
As for the difference between uploading a demo straight away and waiting a while, it's hard to tell. As far as I can tell I can't find a correlation, it's very hard to predict how people will react, especially concerning things like overall reactions to screenshots, the way a page is presented, and self-promotion. It's largely unpredictable but I can only say that it's a good judgement of various factors that will allow you to market your game.
Perhaps someone with better knowledge of marketing could help?
As for the difference between uploading a demo straight away and waiting a while, it's hard to tell. As far as I can tell I can't find a correlation, it's very hard to predict how people will react, especially concerning things like overall reactions to screenshots, the way a page is presented, and self-promotion. It's largely unpredictable but I can only say that it's a good judgement of various factors that will allow you to market your game.
Perhaps someone with better knowledge of marketing could help?
I think having a game page helps me push some content out to others to see now that I don't already dump bits and pieces on my tumblr but also helps me get more feedback I feel. I'm glad I also branched out a little from RMN as well and put a page on Starmen.net for Hanging On as it got more people looking at my stuff giving feedback as well as motivating me (I didn't know so many people on there would have played prelude either) It really depends on what you want from others I feel!
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
There's no such thing as a finished game. Only an abandoned game. You could always make it better. But don't wait until you've abandoned your game before releasing it to the public - there will be major, glaring problems that won't get fixed if you do that. You want to find and fix what you can before a public release, but you don't have a QA department and will definitely miss things.
One method I've found that's amazingly helpful is to get someone to stream it, and watch them. If you're sitting there in the Twitch chatroom talking to them about the game as they play it, they will play all the way through the game and beat it, pretty much 100% guaranteed. I strongly recommend not giving them any instructions or advice, since part of the goal is to see how long it takes them to figure things out, and how well they do without figuring parts of the game out. However, talking about the parts of the game that they've just played, and about your game design process, is really interesting to players and gets them invested in the game. If the game is even halfway decent, they'll have fun and appreciate the streaming as much as you do.
One method I've found that's amazingly helpful is to get someone to stream it, and watch them. If you're sitting there in the Twitch chatroom talking to them about the game as they play it, they will play all the way through the game and beat it, pretty much 100% guaranteed. I strongly recommend not giving them any instructions or advice, since part of the goal is to see how long it takes them to figure things out, and how well they do without figuring parts of the game out. However, talking about the parts of the game that they've just played, and about your game design process, is really interesting to players and gets them invested in the game. If the game is even halfway decent, they'll have fun and appreciate the streaming as much as you do.
RedMask
1139
Thanks for the advice everyone.
I didn't even know I could make a private game page.
At some point I really need to branch out to more websites.
I really would like to see someone LP my game I have asked someone but it might be a while since he's got other requests from people. I definitely need to ask more people though. The live steam thing hadn't occurred to me. I guess I would need skype to talk with said streamer as you mentioned
Anyway, luckily someone has agreed to be my play tester.
Hopefully this game won't take me 6 years to make like Nsala Liberation did.
I plan to make the new game a much shorter and compact experience.
I didn't even know I could make a private game page.
At some point I really need to branch out to more websites.
I really would like to see someone LP my game I have asked someone but it might be a while since he's got other requests from people. I definitely need to ask more people though. The live steam thing hadn't occurred to me. I guess I would need skype to talk with said streamer as you mentioned
Anyway, luckily someone has agreed to be my play tester.
Hopefully this game won't take me 6 years to make like Nsala Liberation did.
I plan to make the new game a much shorter and compact experience.
Release a demo. Release another one when you have done a decent amount of work. Work towards a game that can be finished and has a full plot.
I'm still waiting for Eagleland. And half a dozen awesome-looking games that look really good but either takes too much work and the creator quits, or too much time passes and I lose interest.
One demo doesn't really cut it. You finish the demo and you want to play more.
I'm still waiting for Eagleland. And half a dozen awesome-looking games that look really good but either takes too much work and the creator quits, or too much time passes and I lose interest.
One demo doesn't really cut it. You finish the demo and you want to play more.
Why release multiple demos? I understand that some games release multiple builds as the game progress. For me, I think one decent demo that covers arounds 10 % (2 hours) of the full game is enough. I want my players to have as fun as possible when the full game is released.
Also, marketing and presentation can be pretty essential.
Also, marketing and presentation can be pretty essential.
Do what I do!
Don't.
orz
Seriously, though, there's a lot of ways to do this and they work for some and not others. There is no sure-fire way. Sometimes you just put your nose to the grinder and spit out the game. Other times you find yourself swamped and just throw your hands up and say "Enough!" and never release the game. Sometimes you just release a demo. Sometimes you just release the full thing. Sometimes you tease, sometimes you don't.
It really does differ from person to person, but not only that - sometimes it differs from game to game as well. There is no sure fire best way. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear, but being around the community as long as I have it's something I've noticed. Some people can just spit out game after game. Some people will throw out one surprise game and demos of others. Some people will release only demos and others can't get past vaporware. And a lot fall inbetween, depending on the project. Is what it is.
Don't.
orz
Seriously, though, there's a lot of ways to do this and they work for some and not others. There is no sure-fire way. Sometimes you just put your nose to the grinder and spit out the game. Other times you find yourself swamped and just throw your hands up and say "Enough!" and never release the game. Sometimes you just release a demo. Sometimes you just release the full thing. Sometimes you tease, sometimes you don't.
It really does differ from person to person, but not only that - sometimes it differs from game to game as well. There is no sure fire best way. Sorry if that's not what you want to hear, but being around the community as long as I have it's something I've noticed. Some people can just spit out game after game. Some people will throw out one surprise game and demos of others. Some people will release only demos and others can't get past vaporware. And a lot fall inbetween, depending on the project. Is what it is.
Sooz
They told me I was mad when I said I was going to create a spidertable. Who’s laughing now!!!
5354
First of all, it's generally better to tranquilize it beforehand: releasing can be stressful and cause the game to lash out at its caretakers.
Once you've tagged it to ensure you can track its movements, secure your tranquilized game in a safe carrier- a dog crate works well for smaller games, but you may need something larger if your game is over ten hours in length.
Use whatever transport needed to get your game and carrier out into its native environment. The farther you are from the road, the safer the game will feel, and the less likely you are to sustain injuries from a panicking game.
For safety, you may want to wear padded sleeves, especially if your game contains graphic violence or nudity. Stand behind the carrier, open the latch, and then immediately move away. Don't worry if your game doesn't immediately leave the carrier: it may be exercising caution. Normally, it will exit the carrier within a few hours, though it can take days for some games. It's recommended that you spend this time away from the area. Let the game return to the wild at its own pace. Once it's safely in its environment, you can retrieve the carrier.
Hope this helps!
Once you've tagged it to ensure you can track its movements, secure your tranquilized game in a safe carrier- a dog crate works well for smaller games, but you may need something larger if your game is over ten hours in length.
Use whatever transport needed to get your game and carrier out into its native environment. The farther you are from the road, the safer the game will feel, and the less likely you are to sustain injuries from a panicking game.
For safety, you may want to wear padded sleeves, especially if your game contains graphic violence or nudity. Stand behind the carrier, open the latch, and then immediately move away. Don't worry if your game doesn't immediately leave the carrier: it may be exercising caution. Normally, it will exit the carrier within a few hours, though it can take days for some games. It's recommended that you spend this time away from the area. Let the game return to the wild at its own pace. Once it's safely in its environment, you can retrieve the carrier.
Hope this helps!
author=luiishu535
Why release multiple demos? I understand that some games release multiple builds as the game progress. For me, I think one decent demo that covers arounds 10 % (2 hours) of the full game is enough. I want my players to have as fun as possible when the full game is released.
Also, marketing and presentation can be pretty essential.
Because you have subscribers.
Naturally, subscribers subscriber to something that has new features. Not just hype.
So I put new updates whenever I make an update.
Anyway, that's my thinking.
If you do one big demo, it could stand to be a demo while you are certain you are going to complete the game. That way you don't fall into the "this game is gonna be so great! It's gonna... I'm burned out..." trap. Do a demo late, not early. Make sure you can finish, and give people something to snack on.
author=luiishu535
For me, I think one decent demo that covers arounds 10 % (2 hours) of the full game is enough..
lol man
2 hours can be pretty much 300% of a lot of games XD
and i'm not the one to give advice on this topic lol
@BULMABRIEFS144: I suppose the difference here is that originated from the YT RM community. We would release demos for our games, but it was the videos that was the stuff we looked forward to.
You can also make blogs, post screenshots and whatnot of your game to keep the subscribers fresh on updates. Making multiple demos for a game would take away from the full experience IMO.
A lot of games usually requires the player to start over in future updates due to the incompatibilities/crashes.
@JosephSeraph: So true! If your game is 1 hour long, a 5-10 demo should be enough (if a demo was even needed due to short developing time).
Also, I think one of the best ways to release a game is through an epic trailer.
You can also make blogs, post screenshots and whatnot of your game to keep the subscribers fresh on updates. Making multiple demos for a game would take away from the full experience IMO.
A lot of games usually requires the player to start over in future updates due to the incompatibilities/crashes.
@JosephSeraph: So true! If your game is 1 hour long, a 5-10 demo should be enough (if a demo was even needed due to short developing time).
Also, I think one of the best ways to release a game is through an epic trailer.
RedMask
1139
author=luiishu535
Also, I think one of the best ways to release a game is through an epic trailer.
True.
If I could make video trailers I would have done it for my last game since it would make it much easier to show people what they can do in my game.
Unfortunately, I'm not even sure what equipment I'd need for videos.
author=bulmabriefs144
Naturally, subscribers subscriber to something that has new features. Not just hype.
So I put new updates whenever I make an update.
Anyway, that's my thinking.
Good point Bulma. I might also be able to get more feedback this way.
author=Sooz
First of all, it's generally better to tranquilize it beforehand: releasing can be stressful and cause the game to lash out at its caretakers.
Once you've tagged it to ensure you can track its movements, secure your tranquilized game in a safe carrier- a dog crate works well for smaller games, but you may need something larger if your game is over ten hours in length.
Use whatever transport needed to get your game and carrier out into its native environment. The farther you are from the road, the safer the game will feel, and the less likely you are to sustain injuries from a panicking game.
For safety, you may want to wear padded sleeves, especially if your game contains graphic violence or nudity. Stand behind the carrier, open the latch, and then immediately move away. Don't worry if your game doesn't immediately leave the carrier: it may be exercising caution. Normally, it will exit the carrier within a few hours, though it can take days for some games. It's recommended that you spend this time away from the area. Let the game return to the wild at its own pace. Once it's safely in its environment, you can retrieve the carrier.
Hope this helps!
lol Clearly this is the best advice. Thanks Sooz.
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