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What's the Best Way to Share Demos?
Megan_Hunter- 05/19/2010 04:13 PM
- 2955 views
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CloseI prefer the final product all in one package, honestly. A small demonstration to start out is okay, but not every friday or anything. One demo, then full release. that's my opinion.
Depends on your personal development philosophy. I tend to release a series of demos and tend to treat them as prototypes that the community helps refine. Often releasing a demo (at least what I've seen and experienced) leads to people playing the game and responding with feedback, critiques and areas to improve. As long as you aren't an asshat, you can take this in and make your game better.
That's one path.
A single demo and then full game is also a viable approach, as is just full blown full game. Depends on what you want, really!
That's one path.
A single demo and then full game is also a viable approach, as is just full blown full game. Depends on what you want, really!
Megan_Hunter
69
Thanks guys I really appreciate it, very new to the RM community and message boards in general. (Tried RRR for a week or so but so many there were just so mean and unfriendly I came here instead, and have been very happy.) By the way kentona, tracked down the 2003 rtp last night so I could play Hero's Realm today, very excited on my way to the store to pick up a controller :D
Hero's Realm benefited greatly from having that episodic experience - the game was split up into five very distinct sections, however.
How long do you plan for this project to be, and how are the story segments/missions/quests/etc. divvied up?
How long do you plan for this project to be, and how are the story segments/missions/quests/etc. divvied up?
Neok
3602
I haven't updated screens in the last few days, mainly because no one's really subscribed.
I would think it goes the other way around! Aka, give people a reason to subscribe, and they will.
Megan_Hunter
69
comment=31329
I would think it goes the other way around! Aka, give people a reason to subscribe, and they will.
This statement sounds like it makes entirely too much sense. Logic is not my "milieu."
comment=31320
How long do you plan for this project to be, and how are the story segments/missions/quests/etc. divvied up?
Right now I'm thinking that the game will have 5-6 hours of play till you beat the final boss and finish the story; if you go collect everyone's spells and things it might take you 8. There's some side quests you can do at any time, but the plot is very simple: get from one end of the map to the other. So it's very easy to cut it up.
And that will be the "finished" game. But in the future, whenever I end up with cartoons from doodling or whatever, I'll put them into the game too. I just figure that they'll be harder critters in new areas that are basically post-game and story-less. A lot of that comes from the voice actors; I might be able to convince folks to do it once, but I won't be able to bring all of them back every time I want to add a side quest.
I'm nothing if not pragmatic, and my only goal right now is to actually finish the game. At Mattel we'd be told to make this or that huge project in two or three months, often using a software we'd never even touched. So it's definitely do-able. There's also some clear sacrifices I make since I know my limitations: that's why I'm using the basic VX engine without altering it. My target is to finish the game by the end of July, a date that's already gotten pushed back because of my career so I'm hesitant about pushing it out any more.
Have my controller, ready to play some Heeeeeerroooooooooo's Reeeeeeaaaaaaaalllllllm!
If you really want to give a taste of your game, the demo that you intend for the end of the month, could be say, 30 minutes to 1 hour in length. That way you can showcase of the things you are showing us in game description and features. The most important thing is making sure you don't have any serious game-breakers because that's a good way to lose your audience. Depending on the feedback or reviews you receive from that then you can make a decision of how to handle the next release, whether another intermediate demo or the final complete game. If you are going for the latter, it's good to enlist some beta testers to get some feedback and detect bugs to avoid having gameplayers of that version be that for you.
Also, I don't know whether you intend to use the idea of chapters or episodes. In that case you could release each standalone and probably would want to have saves that carry over from one to the next.
All of what I said are just suggestions. It definitely looks interesting, though. And it's good you have a target in mind.
Also, I don't know whether you intend to use the idea of chapters or episodes. In that case you could release each standalone and probably would want to have saves that carry over from one to the next.
All of what I said are just suggestions. It definitely looks interesting, though. And it's good you have a target in mind.
Megan_Hunter
69
Thanks everyone, this was really good advice. Playing kentona's game literally all of yesterday it became pretty clear that my entire game is the length of just one or two of those episodes. So it sounds like for this project, it would be best if I didn't release all those little updates with only like a half hour of play a week. I will post a demo, but then I think I'll wait until the game is done.
I'll add some more screenshots today if I can get these maps to work. I'm trying to figure out the best way to make invisible tiles to walk on and haven't quite cracked it yet.
I'll add some more screenshots today if I can get these maps to work. I'm trying to figure out the best way to make invisible tiles to walk on and haven't quite cracked it yet.
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