Common Sense Corner
11-26-2016, 12:05 AM
A quote: "You can't DIE in the demo!"
In essence, today's common sense is... don't make a demo version of your game so hard that the player can barely win. And don't make it so your demo kills you off every time you open a closet! Or have a monster give you Game Over for catching up to you, and make the player start all over!
If you're making a demo, make sure the people can get a feel for your game without feeling TOO pressured to get things right.
Boss too strong? Make him a little weaker! Give more items to help beat him! It's a demo, not Impossible Mode!*
Closets kill you because Jeff the Killer stares at you? Don't make it a Game Over! Just have them teleport to the beginning of the room! Or save the "Death" for the final closet of the demo!
Keep things simple with your demo, you don't want to scare people away from the final product after a horrifyingly bad experience!
And make sure you do at least a simple bugtest your demo, too. You don't want to look like a simpleton when you open up your menu and there's something wrong already! It makes you look bad!
And check your spelling and grammar. Have someone proofread if you're not sure of something yourself, especially if the language you are releasing in isn't your first language! Believe it or not, there are people that do this FOR FREE.**
And finally...
Make your demo a decent length. 20-45 minutes is normally a good demo length, giving someone time to explore and get a feel for what you're going for.
You don't want to make your "Demo" be a 10-hour extravaganza of story.
You can pick a point on where you want the demo to be, and pick a point where it ends shortly after. Leave out stuff if you want. Your choice.
Example:
Janine Pirouette Shaniquadonna meets Jackson Maikuru in OneOneZero Forest, and they have to fight off a few bad guys. Small talking scene after, Maikuru joins Shaniquadonna.
They go into town afterwards, and you get to free roam around town to buy things, invade houses and break their pots for Rupees, etc. You then go to the mayor's house, and he turns out to be The Evil Incarnate, battling you! After the battle, Shaniquadonna and Maikuru are downed, and The Evil Incarnate laughs.
You see a ninja behind some boxes moving towards The Evil Incarnate.
Fade to black. Thank the player for playing.
Notes for scripters and the like:
Tech demos or script demos aren't too much different from a regular game demo, but there are different approaches to it.
If you're doing a tech or script demo, you can do whatever you want, but don't feel you have to go overboard with a 20-hour GAME. Short and sweet can do it, with random sprites around in a circle with the aspects of your tech given a role with each.
Or, a little more lengthy demo with a short story can do it as well.
For an example, check out The Great DerVVulfman's demos if you want to see how one can use short stories to keep you occupied while being in awe of the incredible aspects of the scripts!
* Unless you're trying to create a REALLY tough game, in which case, go for it.
** Proofreaders are everywhere if you know where to look. Just ask for one.
In essence, today's common sense is... don't make a demo version of your game so hard that the player can barely win. And don't make it so your demo kills you off every time you open a closet! Or have a monster give you Game Over for catching up to you, and make the player start all over!
If you're making a demo, make sure the people can get a feel for your game without feeling TOO pressured to get things right.
Boss too strong? Make him a little weaker! Give more items to help beat him! It's a demo, not Impossible Mode!*
Closets kill you because Jeff the Killer stares at you? Don't make it a Game Over! Just have them teleport to the beginning of the room! Or save the "Death" for the final closet of the demo!
Keep things simple with your demo, you don't want to scare people away from the final product after a horrifyingly bad experience!
And make sure you do at least a simple bugtest your demo, too. You don't want to look like a simpleton when you open up your menu and there's something wrong already! It makes you look bad!
And check your spelling and grammar. Have someone proofread if you're not sure of something yourself, especially if the language you are releasing in isn't your first language! Believe it or not, there are people that do this FOR FREE.**
And finally...
Make your demo a decent length. 20-45 minutes is normally a good demo length, giving someone time to explore and get a feel for what you're going for.
You don't want to make your "Demo" be a 10-hour extravaganza of story.
You can pick a point on where you want the demo to be, and pick a point where it ends shortly after. Leave out stuff if you want. Your choice.
Example:
Janine Pirouette Shaniquadonna meets Jackson Maikuru in OneOneZero Forest, and they have to fight off a few bad guys. Small talking scene after, Maikuru joins Shaniquadonna.
They go into town afterwards, and you get to free roam around town to buy things, invade houses and break their pots for Rupees, etc. You then go to the mayor's house, and he turns out to be The Evil Incarnate, battling you! After the battle, Shaniquadonna and Maikuru are downed, and The Evil Incarnate laughs.
You see a ninja behind some boxes moving towards The Evil Incarnate.
Fade to black. Thank the player for playing.
Notes for scripters and the like:
Tech demos or script demos aren't too much different from a regular game demo, but there are different approaches to it.
If you're doing a tech or script demo, you can do whatever you want, but don't feel you have to go overboard with a 20-hour GAME. Short and sweet can do it, with random sprites around in a circle with the aspects of your tech given a role with each.
Or, a little more lengthy demo with a short story can do it as well.
For an example, check out The Great DerVVulfman's demos if you want to see how one can use short stories to keep you occupied while being in awe of the incredible aspects of the scripts!
* Unless you're trying to create a REALLY tough game, in which case, go for it.
** Proofreaders are everywhere if you know where to look. Just ask for one.
