THENECROMANCER'S PROFILE

author=Tuomo_L
I mean honestly, starting with the start tutorial town and dragging the experience down does slow the game down needlessly. Plus, most of the players who will play your RPG Maker demo, will have grasp on these mechanics as is.

The answer to this is to make your game more interesting, not avoid including the opening in a demo. It sounds like you are talking about a specific type of game, mainly people's first RPGmaker projects. Although you don't specify anything in your article so it appears that you are applying this to all games.

The fact is 99% of the RPG Maker games demos that I've played

Perhaps you should pick better games. Because I have played MANY good demos. Just recently I played this demo and it was really quite amazing. It includes the opening of the game with a tutorial map and it was still amazing because it was well put together.

If you have complex gameplay elements that need explanation, you should have a picture at the start of the game that has all the controls listed and layed out for the player to pick up and play your demo from the get go, not after tons of tutorials and forcing them to do things.

It is well documented in player feedback that this is a terrible idea. You can't expect someone to memorize complex controls and gameplay elements before they even engage with the game. Showing the player by example, slowly over time, is a proven method that has been used since the early console days because it works best.

Also, if you release a demo of a middle portion of the game the player could be confused on how it works and it will ruin their experience. They will think it's bad, when they simply don't understand it. Showing them all information at the start is not a valid countermeasure.

But that doesn't address my actual comment of telling people to never do something. There are few absolutes in game design so you can't say never release a demo. Or if you do, to never include a starting tutorial. That is simply incorrect.

It's fine if you want to offer specific advice to people, and leave it up to them to decide what they want to do, but this article comes across as you demanding everyone do things your way for all games. Without question, "never do this", and it's all based on your own opinion/experience. But my opinion/experience is different and I can't say I agree with very much here.

Digging those maps. Downloaded.

Edit: If the game uses all custom resources you should consider making it work without needing to install the RTP.

You should avoid telling people to never do something. You can suggest what shouldn't be done, but I don't like being told I can never do something. Especially when I can think of many ways to do it, and do it well.

I see. Thanks for the info. That seems to be the answer I need.

Needs more ducks.