How long should a proper Demo be?

[TandyLion]

For many games, I've found demo's obnoxiously short. So, I'm curious. For most AGS games currently released, how much of the game play should be given out on a Demo? A good hours play? 15 Minutes? What do you guys expect when you play a promising demo game?

[cosmicr]

doesnt matter how long or short it is - as long as its good enough to make you want to play the full game!

best demo I ever played was the demo for Orion Burger. Although since then I havent been able to get my hands on a copy!

The Space Quest 6 demo was really good too. I found it interesting in that it was quite different to the actual game.

[MrColossal]

The tricky thing is that since adventure games rarely add anything new to their gameplay, who cares about a demo with puzzle solving in it?

Other games use demos to show off the new gameplay that they have invented for their game, a new way of interacting with a 3d world, a new AI for the enemy, a new lighting engine, etc... If your game has interesting gameplay that is worth showing people then make a demo that shows that off as best as possible. If the adventure game is just more of the same inventory puzzles and talking to people, just make a trailer and post it on youtube.

I do not remember the Space Quest 6 demo but if it was different from the actual game [if by "actual game" you mean generic walking around and picking up items and using them later] then that's why they chose that part of the game to showcase in their demo.

Show me something new and tell me there is also standard adventure gaming and you've got yourself a good demo. If I'm looking for traditional adventure gaming with a twist I will play the demo, see the twist and then play the full game.

[mouthuvmine]

I liked the demo for the first Blackwell game myself. It wasn't really long or short, because everyone gets through adventure games at a different pace, but it gave you a nice dosage of the mystery, the pleasing art, and a little ghost cameo. It didn't get into the game's plot line much, but it set everything up right in the demo, and made you want to finish (or start, I suppose) the story. It also introduced you to Dave's cool take on the inventory system.

I've also played some games before where the demo was actually not the beginning of the game, but somewhere in the middle. It was cool, because when I got the game, I wasn't just trudging through the demo to get to the new stuff.

[Snarky]

If you're making a free game, is there a point to having a demo at all?

[m0ds]

best demo I ever played was the demo for Orion Burger. Although since then I havent been able to get my hands on a copy!

Good call! One of the few retro adventures I'd still love to play, but never played more than that awesome demo

A good demo to me is a good 4 or 5 puzzles of varying difficulty, something that allows you to get to know and enjoy some atmosphere and gameplay. You really have to be the judge of that The longer the better I say, because it gives your demo alone some replay value - and I know that's something I did a lot before actually purchasing the real games. The FoY demo amounts to about 30 minutes of play at a total of about 17 screens and that to me, is a pretty good amount for a demo of a game that could be five times that size. You have to scale your project and be sure you give a player a good chunk but not reveal too much. Sometimes short demos can still be good. The Under A Killing Moon demo was PAINFULLY short, but hell I wanted to play it still And I'm sure that game featured TONS more than just a basket ball and strange 2D flattening man graphics

[mouthuvmine]

If you're making a free game, is there a point to having a demo at all?

I think yes, if you are putting a lot of work in and still want to maximize the amount of people that play it. Plus, it's kind of a nice way to get feed back ahead of time, before you completely finish a game.

[Kweepa]

If you're making a free game, is there a point to having a demo at all?

I think yes, if you are putting a lot of work in and still want to maximize the amount of people that play it.

How does a demo increase the amount of people that play your game? I think people are more likely to play the full game, since:
* cost is not a differentiating factor
* it's just as easy to download and install
* there's less to experience in the demo
* there's less likelihood of bugs in the full game
* the experience is going to be more polished in general
I think a demo can only decrease the number of players of the full game, by putting some off. A youtube video is much more accessible, and might pull some players in.

Plus, it's kind of a nice way to get feed back ahead of time, before you completely finish a game.

This is true. However, it's not a very structured approach. It might be better to get some beta testers instead.
It is probably useful as a motivator.

[miguel]

My experience with it makes me go with the thumbs up for releasing DEMOs.
If a game maker is going for a average to full size game it reaches a point where motivation falls (specially if he's doing it alone). Crossing 50% of the production of the game is like following Armstrong on the Tour to me, I kind of stop liking what I'm doing and dozens of other ideas for games pop on my head.
So, for a considerable amount of time I'm just working and not having fun!
Until I do get things done and tested and can move on with the game, the Demo and it's feedback gives me energy and the notion of what I was doing wrong or right.
It's like when you release some new backgrounds on the GIP thread, you kind of NEED some attention, someone to tell you: 'Keep up with the good work', or something.
As for the duration of the Demo, I believe it should contain a 'next-to-full' location and it should be playable.
 

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Yeah, I'd have to say a demo for a freeware game would be like giving someone half of a steak before giving them a steak, the reason being:

A) The game is free so they know they'll get the whole thing anyway

B) Many freeware games are quite short compared to commercial games, so you could be showing them a considerable chunk of the game just in the demo


With a commercial game demo, what you want to do is hit them with an introduction that pulls them in and introduces them to the protagonist and the controls without making it feel like a demo or a tutorial.  If you do it right, by the end people will be annoyed that they can't keep playing, because that means they have been hooked .

[miguel]

Just like drugs

[Igor Hardy]

I posted quite a long demo for my own game recently because I really needed more player feedback fast and there was no way to cut out a smaller piece from such a non-linear game.

To me preparing this demo was an important part of the production process and one of the milestones. This is my first game and I can't imagine I could have gone on for 5 more months working on it without showing anything of the game to the public. Every new hands-on comment fills me with new energy for the remainder of the game's development.

The full game will be certainly better, but I don't care if a few people will be put off because it's not completely polished yet and doesn't contain any voiceovers.

[ThreeOhFour]

About as long as one of my completed games

[TandyLion]

I understand exactly what Ascovel means. I hope my Demo will be a milestone, even if finances dry up before a full game can be completed.

I suppose the YouTube generation has killed the need for many demo's though. Since we are often spoiled (or enticed) by Eye Candy.

[Ghost]

I like demos, and I don't think the interwebs/'tube generation has dimmed the need for them!

In many cases a demo can get you some word of mouth even before you release the final game. Everyone is a blogger these days, and a nice preview can get you a positive and free bit of exposition.

It can also help you to see how "popular" the final release might become, always a good thing if your host has restricted bandwidth.

Also, if your final game's somewhat large, people will like to be offered a smaller demo download to see if it's worth it (though this point will eventually become insignificant...)

As for length... I remember someone saying that the best TIME to put a demo together is when you're almost done with the final game, and then you take the (imaginary or actual) first chapter. If possible, end the demo with a nice, grapping cliffhanger, and make sure there is one really outstanding bit of anything in it- be it a very clever puzzle, a cool animation or just some really witty bit of dialogue.

Ali did a cool thing with the Nelly demo, where one rather important puzzle was totally different in the final game- that's one good way to counter ProgZ's steak metaphor (that otherwise makes perfect sense as long as the final game's free). Plus, one can never have too much steak. 

[Igor Hardy]

Yeah, I'd have to say a demo for a freeware game would be like giving someone half of a steak before giving them a steak, the reason being:

A) The game is free so they know they'll get the whole thing anyway

B) Many freeware games are quite short compared to commercial games, so you could be showing them a considerable chunk of the game just in the demo

If that's true then the next time I will release a demo for a freeware I'm going pretend the project is commercial.

[Silverbristle]

I think a game demo should only be long enough to get the player interested in playing more of the game and end at a really interesting spot 
perhaps only 10-15 minutes long.

If the demo was long and the player obtained the full version later, would the player be bored playing the same part of the game again? One possible solution would be to have a slightly different puzzle in the demo.

[Anian]

If the demo was long and the player obtained the full version later, would the player be bored playing the same part of the game again? One possible solution would be to have a slightly different puzzle in the demo.

Slightly different puzzle would be cool, but as long as the demo doesn't show any crucial part of the game (example I can think of is Grim Fandagos demo) then there shouldn't be any problem.
I mean you watch movie trailers but still you don't expect any part of it in the movie and you will laugh at the same joke, even if you already heard it in the trailer. It's the power of imerssion. Besides if a month passes between a demo and the whole game then the player will probably forget about the solution of the puzzle but he/she will remember if it was fun and interesting or not.  
Another example could be the short summaries at the back of dvd cases, they tell you a part of the story but it's far from that what happens in the whole movie but it's enough to make you borrow or buy a movie.