Demo

Will a demo be released?

I'm gonna guess no, but if you buy early there are different packs which allow access to the Beta and Alpha

Currently, a demo isn't in the plans. Creating a good demo is a tremendous amount of work, and we're very focused on making the game itself. That's not to say "no demo ever", just not for now.

Not to mention the Merits of creating a Demois highly debated.

Mike

I am sure that, if I were to pre order, and get beta, would the game data be lost on update from beta to full version? This is why I want a demo, to know roughly what the game is like.

....What?

What game data?

Not to mention that more likely than not, a mid/late Beta is prolly MORE accurate to "Released" gameplay than a Demo would be, considering how early Demo's Have to be "Locked In"(No more changes) so that it can start undergoing Vigirous QA testign to make sure it functions as perfectly as possible before it's released.

Mike

I do think a demo (released after PA is in production) is a good idea to get potential gamers interested without having to buy it first. Also a good way of testing if your computer will actually run the game smoothly!

I loved SupCom (1) demo, I played a hell lot of hours before game release, and buyed it fast. There was one map... Fin's Revenge? I think. Great map.

Personally I think it works better on kids (and consoles). Half my gaming time when ps1 was current was spent playing cover discs, and it was the only source of info I had. Now video sites etc mean demos have less value, imo.

Most demos are, frankly, quite terrible. They're usually 6GB downloads for 20 minutes of play and a credit card slot. It doesn't help when those 20 minutes are enough to know everything about the game. It's completely stupid.

The client/server model makes demos for PA fairly simple to make. For example, games may be limited to small maps and 2-4 players only. There may only be one Comm type available (a Demo Commander? No way!). There may be no planet generator at all, with only a handful of select maps that can be chosen or connected to. While it is difficult to enforce those limitations on private servers, it is possible to check for demo versions on official servers and deny access to the sweet stuff.

I can remember when my laptop crashed while trying to run certain games, but now that is not-so-likely to happen. Plus, what is meant by vigorous QA testing?

And what I meant by data, is that if the game was dramatically changed (unlikely), some things would be lost (like when minecraft updates when mods are installed, and certain things completely go)

QA testing is Quality assurance, they find bugs, spelling mistakes and make sure the game runs. Also known as professional play testers.

There wont really be a huge amount of data to lose, a win loss ratio perhaps? old replays might not work anymore.

This is only true if the game is bad. Which is why the big publishers don't do it anymore, they know their games are bad.

We on the other hand, know PA is good, don't we?

I'd like to say, I wouldn't be on here today if not for the Supcom demo.

The problem is not the quality of the Game itself, it's the Quality of the Demo and the perception of the people who play it.

Mike

To make a demo, you're typically making a new version of the game. Doubly true with a game that is primarily built around a client server architecture, but even for single player, the amount of work that goes into most demos is dozens of person months for any high quality game/demo. You have to generally refactor huge amounts of code, or customize tons of content, or usually both.

Quite simply, it's not necessarily that we wouldn't want to do one, but in terms of priorities, it's way down the list.

I think we all know the pluses and minuses of demos, but on the list of "confirmed features", for now you can list this one in red.

I never would have got into Total Annihilation if it wasn't for the demo. The simulation and general texture which sold me on the game could not be conveyed with mere screenshots and reviews. Many of my purchases in the early 2000's were determined from trying out the demos first.

a possible alternative would proably be something like gifting temporary keys. It's far from perfect but it would let a few people try it.

Hell you could even give the ability to make them to players and have them on a cooldown (maybe one month).

I don't get it.

How does a demo have to be polished and refined, which is somehow any different from the natural course of making a game? A demo is just ONE PART of a game!

If thats what the expereinced game developer says then thats what it is. however the basic thought is that you need to start coding in a whole lot of dependancies and checks to make sure that people with the demo aren't breaking things or that the game doesn't break by not all being included. Design meetings about what should be in the demo, all those other things.

Also that nowadays with Youtube and Lets Plays and Video Reviews I think you can get a pretty good idea what a game is about, not as good as playing a demo mind you, but still leagues better than buying it sight unseen.

Mike