[Demo Advice] What all do you need for a demo?

[sharikah]

This question sounds stupid but it's more of a check list for a short demo. What all do I need to make sure my demo is complete? Thanks in advance...

[VAPMichaelaLaws]

Hi sweetie pie!

Demos are kind of based on opinion and work behind it. However, the essential things about the demo is telling 'What story am I telling' and 'What will make people want to continue?'

First thing about demos is that, if it is a demo, you need to either have the full story done or have it outlined enough to where it's good to go for production. Then, if it's a WIP demo, state that in game so people understand if there is missing/incomplete art or things of that sort, but if it's an 'official' (meaning No-Changes-Will-Be-Made-Or-Added), the demo then needs to almost as good as the full game as possible; that means art/music/story need to be polished.

Play through it and see if you one, told the situation of the story so people know what the game is about in general (so they can become interested and invested in your story), and two, end it at a point that makes readers go "OH WHAT THE F*** WHYYY I NEED MORE DONT END NOW WHYYYYY" If you're unsure about either of these things, get a friend or two to play it first before releasing it =)

Hope that helps!
-Michaela

[Tyrantauranox]

If I want to see more, the demo did its job. This is tricky to gauge in focus testing, as you need to determine whether or not the player wants to continue as the demo concludes.

[sharikah]

Thank you going to PM you if that's ok?

Hi sweetie pie!

Demos are kind of based on opinion and work behind it. However, the essential things about the demo is telling 'What story am I telling' and 'What will make people want to continue?'

First thing about demos is that, if it is a demo, you need to either have the full story done or have it outlined enough to where it's good to go for production. Then, if it's a WIP demo, state that in game so people understand if there is missing/incomplete art or things of that sort, but if it's an 'official' (meaning No-Changes-Will-Be-Made-Or-Added), the demo then needs to almost as good as the full game as possible; that means art/music/story need to be polished.

Play through it and see if you one, told the situation of the story so people know what the game is about in general (so they can become interested and invested in your story), and two, end it at a point that makes readers go "OH WHAT THE F*** WHYYY I NEED MORE DONT END NOW WHYYYYY" If you're unsure about either of these things, get a friend or two to play it first before releasing it =)

Hope that helps!
-Michaela

[sharikah]

I hope you do.. I'm having stage fright while writing a vn...

If I want to see more, the demo did its job. This is tricky to gauge in focus testing, as you need to determine whether or not the player wants to continue as the demo concludes.

[SelLi]

I hope you do.. I'm having stage fright while writing a vn...

Don't worry about what we'll say. Write because you enjoy writing, and relax.

[Tyrantauranox]

Behind every success is a mountain of failures, right? Try things- get some feedback, make some changes... then repeat. The greatest games had tons of testing sessions before launching- and those sessions revealed numerous issues. As seasoned developers, they expected that, and met those issues head-on. You'll do the same, and when you're confident that your demo is a quality product, you'll release it to the public.

[SundownKid]

Purpose of a demo is advertisement. It's a slice of the game that is not so long that people will lose interest, and that makes people want to see more. If it has to be changed slightly to accommodate this then so be it.

By slice of the game that means... it should be almost, if not exactly like if someone started playing the finished game for only a chapter of it. The content on the other hand can be modified to make it easier to digest. So maybe instead of that half hour walking around town scene, the town immediately gets attacked by a dragon and it ends on a cliffhanger.

[fullmontis]

I'm talking as a player. I rarely play demos, but I've bought a game more than once because I liked the demo. Usually, I expect the game as an appetizer of what I'm going to experience in the full game. This involves narrative, general style and mood, and gameplay mechanics (depending on the genre, one may be more important than another).

Be careful though, as a bad demo can be a bad presentation for the game. I have been turned off from a few games where I didn't like the demo, and then ended up playing them and they were awesome. This is why it is important to convey the three aspects of narrative, style and mechanics, since if there aren't well represented in the demo I might be turned off from the game when I could like it instead.

The general rule of thumb is to give the best stuff you can give without spoiling the experience. Don't hold back.

[sharikah]

Thanks!! Love the advice!!!

I'm talking as a player. I rarely play demos, but I've bought a game more than once because I liked the demo. Usually, I expect the game as an appetizer of what I'm going to experience in the full game. This involves narrative, general style and mood, and gameplay mechanics (depending on the genre, one may be more important than another).

Be careful though, as a bad demo can be a bad presentation for the game. I have been turned off from a few games where I didn't like the demo, and then ended up playing them and they were awesome. This is why it is important to convey the three aspects of narrative, style and mechanics, since if there aren't well represented in the demo I might be turned off from the game when I could like it instead.

The general rule of thumb is to give the best stuff you can give without spoiling the experience. Don't hold back.

[Katy133]

The player should get the following information out of a demo (this info should also be in the press release of the VN) :

- The basic, overall plot (the main characters, who they are, what they want, the main conflict, etc)
- The setting (time, place, fantasy/realistic setting)
- The story genre (Sci-fi, Slice of life, Western)
- A taste of all the main game mechanics.
- What the overall art style looks like.

[Fluxx]

I've seen a couple people say that demo's script should be more condensed than the actual game. I'm really not a fan of having to re-write things like that, I like building up to events. What's is good for a demo? about 10,000 words? 1 chapter?

[sharikah]

What I meant was physically.. Like CGs, Etc.. Basically is Cgs needed \..

The player should get the following information out of a demo (this info should also be in the press release of the VN) :

- The basic, overall plot (the main characters, who they are, what they want, the main conflict, etc)
- The setting (time, place, fantasy/realistic setting)
- The story genre (Sci-fi, Slice of life, Western)
- A taste of all the main game mechanics.
- What the overall art style looks like.

[sharikah]

I also meant the wording My prologue itself is 3k with on 2 people added and I was thinking of 2k first chapter to add along with it

I've seen a couple people say that demo's script should be more condensed than the actual game. I'm really not a fan of having to re-write things like that, I like building up to events. What's is good for a demo? about 10,000 words? 1 chapter?

[truefaiterman]

Every demo I tried lasted to me close to two to four hours.

I mostly remember Katawa Shoujo and The House in Fata Morgana. Both of them were pretty long (of course, the games themselves are), and both took their time to present AND develop the characters and part of the plot. I'll guess and say your goal is to create the whole context of the story, and develope it enough so you can end it in a way that creates expectation without ending it in a big cliffhanger (which may cause the player to show you the middle finger because... dude, that's a D**K move).