Since making a demo version will require some time, time that could be used better in developing the final version of the game, there is an alternative.
On steam I’ve seen an Unreal Tournament game made freely available for a few days, once that time period expires the game becames unavailable you can only delete it.
So, no need to code, package and test a demo version. It’s the same game, freely available for a time period.
How does this sound?
The appeal of a demo is you download a smaller filesize, not many people really want to download 6gb just to not want the game. Hard to believe, but some countries still have download limits, and a high price for exceeding those limits.
Hm, I understand that. But if I’m interested in this game and will likely buy it from steam anyway, which if I do will only remove the trial period, then, it would make perfect sense.
Even the retail version could detect the already downloaded demo version and only make it a permanent purchase…
This is just gonna be a push/pull argument. Someone not quite as interested in the game won’t want to download a file that size, therefore a potential sale could be missed. There’s pros and cons to both, but imo the smaller demo will suit more people.
The worst (best?) demos are of the kind you can’t resist. Sacred 2 and Torchlight for example are both ActionRPGs where you hack and slay like in diablo. With both demos you download the full game but at some point in the game you don’t get any additional experience points anymore. You can still play but you character doesn’t progress.
Usually I’m not easily tempted into buying a game but with those two I had no chance. It wouldn’t necessarily work with Brink but I thought it interesting to mention nevertheless.
PS: I prefer a demo that is always playable over one that is only available for a week. Even worse are the old GTA demos where you had x seconds before you had to start right from the beginning again. Thinking of it some more it wasn’t that bad. The worst demo I played was from the last James Bond game. It was a download of about 2gig with 5 minutes playtime. -_-’
According to the interviews, doing a standalone demo requires time that they don’t have. That’s why I came up with this.
And note that people will be building a character during the trial period they might grow attached to.
There is no reason why a demo character can’t be carried over to a purchased game. Blizzard does that when you play a trial version of wow (which people have no trouble downloading) and buy it afterwards. It’s actually another reason to buy the game.
I hope they can just give Bethesda a build and let them handle both releasing a demo and free weekends on Steam. From what I noticed however, demo releases / free weekends come and go, and for me they usually aren’t that interesting. I need incentive to try a game out. Perhaps Brink should launch with its own miniseries or something (like TF2, but then Brinkish), that might interest me, and if it interests me, I guess it would interest the other “casually competitive gamers” (which are basically all players playing or having played in clans, but who have taken a step back from playing 4 hours a day, I guess).
^yup for me a demo is absolutely mandatory as well.
This game looks spot on, yet im a little hesitating about its actual
gameplay.
Just because this is bringing some new interesting stuff too the table, so in order for me
too judge it gameplay goodness and buy it… i must be convinced by a demo.
I used too make that mistake a bit too often with other games from other devs no offense,
yet really want to experience a quantity of the game myself…
ps: here on 360.
you mean like wasting time by going out for the game, getting it and bringing it back and having to pay for being allowed to try it? that’s silly
i disagree:
http://www.digitalbattle.com/2009/12/28/modern-warfare-2-most-pirated-game-of-09/
it’s the most pirated game of 2009. and i really doubt it’s because people can’t afford it. the game is:
eg the rental store here has only one copy of the game. it doesn’t make sense to keep on visiting the rental store until the game is available. i really don’t blame anyone who pirates a game in order to try it. for a game on which you spend 70 euro, you should at least know what you get for this lot of money.
there are really very few companies of which you can buy a game blindfold. sd is one of them for me. for others it isn’t. i think as well that in general a demo is mandatory for a game. and by that i mean a demo for ALL at once. not eg a 360 demo for gold members only and such.
good games should always have a demo. i know its a risk cause i wouldnt have bought so many games if they had a demo version. sure they could just use the money on bribing some magazines wich seems normal these days (far cry2, arma2 etc.). but a good demo says more about a company than some interviews and what not…
if this mess with unfinished games getting released for pc continiues im gonna buy a console and use my pc only for et.
Activision Blizzard has announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold-through a staggering $550 million in its first five days on sale.
not bad for no demo