Are companies these days choosing not to release demo's because they know their games are bad.

[deathrow_nzl]

I am a person that likes to try everything before I buy

I know you have a 2 hour refund window but that's not enough in my opinion.
I do like the free weekend idea though that some games offer,, Of course that is only useful if you are not buy that weekend

A Demo is just the first few levels or maps of a game.

Some of them might be quite big download if most of the resources are used in the first few levels. But I don't see how this would be a difficult task to release a demo after they more less finish making the game,,


Being old school I saw demos like the Doom 1 & 2 and Wolfenstein 3D demos were the first episode which is like 20% of the whole.

These possible solutions that allow me to try before I buy

Try at a friends house or cybercafe or wait for a free weekend.. Usually never happens or if it does normally in a exam week of something

Get it off steam and play for 2 hours.. I probably wont buy the game though this because I will probably spend most of my time waiting for the game to update, playing the tutorial and creating my character.

Download the demo.. I have brought a lot of good games after playing the demo..
This is also why I am suspicious..
If it is a bad game chances are companies are not going to want to release a demo.

Pirate the game in place of a demo, is a method I know that a lot of people use in place of a demo and do actually by the game..

Ok a lot of games i have got in bundles for like 20 cents brought without trying But on the exception of Warhammer Vermintide, Elder scrolls online and Madmax that I couldn't find away to try it first I have never bought a game that cost more then a couple of dollars without trying it first and I have like 300 games..

Anyway I have a theory.. as with games like No Mans Lie and Watchdogs people know their games are bad and that is why they refuse to release demos.
2 hours play of Watchdog or No mans sky for exampleis not enough time to realise that it didn't live up to its expectations

[Spanky]

It's really comes down to what the game can demonstrate. It's purpose. Like "Here's my game and what we've done so far." Or "This is a ground breaking demonstration, get your demo" A basic marketing deployment strategy.

[JellyPuff]

Tito Shivan の投稿を引用：

Right now, demos make little sense as a promotion channel when we have a fully bloomed internet. A fully gaming jorunalism machine functioning, forums, news sites, youtube, let's players, forums... Specially since they cost money to make.

Also, demos have a side effect that becomes a huge issue nowadays. Demos have a sating effect. You're less likely to order the three-sides, 5-pound double bacon-wrapped, cheese filled burger for dinner when you've eaten all the free samples in the mall an hour earlier.

Especially on PC, where consumers are now as aware as ever, demos would make even more sense for 2 reasons: First, if you want to tell people your review/critic/opinion about a game, there's one thing you'll never be able to really explain to another person just by showing and telling: It's interactivity and how a game "feels". It's what defines a videogame, so the best way of showing that, is by letting someone play your game.

And second (more PC specific), for benchmarking purposes. Given the major releases of the last few years and the insane amount of different system configurations, i don't think i have to explain why that would be a good idea.

Of course, one should design a demo to make the player hungry for more. Something like a free weekend is more like an all-you-can-eat buffet than an appetizer. Design a demo more like intro stages from early to mid 90's games. Castlevania - Symphony of the Night's intro stage was one massive tease.

[Spanky]

Jellypuff の投稿を引用：

.... First, if you want to tell people your review/critic/opinion about a game, there's one thing you'll never be able to really explain to another person just by showing and telling: It's interactivity and how a game "feels".

I don't think a YouTubed preview of the game really presents to the user any capabilities other then to show. I want to try the game.

[Start_Running]

Jellypuff の投稿を引用：

Especially on PC, where consumers are now as aware as ever, demos would make even more sense for 2 reasons: First, if you want to tell people your review/critic/opinion about a game, there's one thing you'll never be able to really explain to another person just by showing and telling: It's interactivity and how a game "feels". It's what defines a videogame, so the best way of showing that, is by letting someone play your game.

And second (more PC specific), for benchmarking purposes. Given the major releases of the last few years and the insane amount of different system configurations, i don't think i have to explain why that would be a good idea.

It's been used for both these purposes and neither worked out well.

[HLCinSC]

Jellypuff の投稿を引用：

Tito Shivan の投稿を引用：

Right now, demos make little sense as a promotion channel when we have a fully bloomed internet. A fully gaming jorunalism machine functioning, forums, news sites, youtube, let's players, forums... Specially since they cost money to make.

Also, demos have a side effect that becomes a huge issue nowadays. Demos have a sating effect. You're less likely to order the three-sides, 5-pound double bacon-wrapped, cheese filled burger for dinner when you've eaten all the free samples in the mall an hour earlier.

Especially on PC, where consumers are now as aware as ever, demos would make even more sense for 2 reasons: First, if you want to tell people your review/critic/opinion about a game, there's one thing you'll never be able to really explain to another person just by showing and telling: It's interactivity and how a game "feels". It's what defines a videogame, so the best way of showing that, is by letting someone play your game.

And second (more PC specific), for benchmarking purposes. Given the major releases of the last few years and the insane amount of different system configurations, i don't think i have to explain why that would be a good idea.

Of course, one should design a demo to make the player hungry for more. Something like a free weekend is more like an all-you-can-eat buffet than an appetizer. Design a demo more like intro stages from early to mid 90's games. Castlevania - Symphony of the Night's intro stage was one massive tease.

I kind of see it as the opposite. In the olden times, you had to rely on your friends or professonial game review magazines, Nowadays, with the wealth of information available with the wide adoption of the internet and to a lesser extent broadband, you can find about released games in unparalleled.

[JellyPuff]

CharlestONE の投稿を引用：

I kind of see it as the opposite. In the olden times, you had to rely on your friends or professonial game review magazines, Nowadays, with the wealth of information available with the wide adoption of the internet and to a lesser extent broadband, you can find about released games in unparalleled.

The original intention behind demos in earlier times is besides the point. Again, videogames are interactive - that's their thing, so the best way to show someone your game is by letting them play it. Demonstrate to me what your game is all about.

Explaining these interactive elements (maybe with some gameplay footage) would still give the consumer just a general idea.
This will get even more difficult with VR titles in the future.

But yeah, demos would be mostly pointless for the publisher/developer. In my examples, they'd only be beneficial to the consumer. In practice, i'd imagine, that only few players would actually try a demo for the purpose of getting information about a game, to see wether it'll be worth buying or not, since typing in " 'Game X' gameplay " on youtube is easier and faster.

On handhelds and mobile devices, demos are still popular, because it's easy and convenient to just quickly give them a try.

And if demos would become a popular source of information again on PC, i'd even go as far as to say that some publishers would falsely represent their game in their demos.

[Spanky]

This makes me think early access to games was to blame for the shortened life span of a demo. Now we have to buy it and be an active community in it's development. Greenlight games should be coming out with demo's more often....

[Start_Running]

Jellypuff の投稿を引用：

CharlestONE の投稿を引用：

I kind of see it as the opposite. In the olden times, you had to rely on your friends or professonial game review magazines, Nowadays, with the wealth of information available with the wide adoption of the internet and to a lesser extent broadband, you can find about released games in unparalleled.

The original intention behind demos in earlier times is besides the point. Again, videogames are interactive - that's their thing, so the best way to show someone your game is by letting them play it. Demonstrate to me what your game is all about.

Explaining these interactive elements (maybe with some gameplay footage) would still give the consumer just a general idea.
This will get even more difficult with VR titles in the future.

But yeah, demos would be mostly pointless for the publisher/developer. In my examples, they'd only be beneficial to the consumer. In practice, i'd imagine, that only few players would actually try a demo for the purpose of getting information about a game, to see wether it'll be worth buying or not, since typing in " 'Game X' gameplay " on youtube is easier and faster.

On handhelds and mobile devices, demos are still popular, because it's easy and convenient to just quickly give them a try.

And if demos would become a popular source of information again on PC, i'd even go as far as to say that some publishers would falsely represent their game in their demos.

With that logic, that's like saying you can't tell if you'll enjoy a dish before you're half way through it. Gotta learn to think a little more.

IT's easy to figure if a game will please you. But let's be honest. The problem is many buy games with backwards logic. They buy a game that's popular and hope they'll like. Smart people seldom desire a game because it's popular, the desire it because they know they'll like it.

Example. i never needed a demo of One FInger Deathpunch to know I'd like it. I recall enjoying those older flash stickfighter games, I like beat'em ups and I like graphical polish. All things you can glean from the video.. This isn't rocket science

[Start_Running]

SquirrlyNuts の投稿を引用：

This makes me think early access to games was to blame for the shortened life span of a demo. Now we have to buy it and be an active community in it's development. Greenlight games should be coming out with demo's more often....

If people actually bought the games with demo to a significant degree. they would. Sadly, people don't.

[JellyPuff]

Start_Running の投稿を引用：

With that logic, that's like saying you can't tell if you'll enjoy a dish before you're half way through it. Gotta learn to think a little more.

No. I've said, that you never truly know, if you're gonna enjoy a dish, before you actually given it a bite.

Sure, if it's called a "Strawberry Cake" and you know, that you like the taste of strawberries and that is has strawberries inside of it, you won't need to taste it first, to know, that it'll probably taste good to you. But neither would you need any other source of information.

The issue starts, if you get served a dish, with contents you never tasted before. You'd given it a small taste first, before digging into it.

[Start_Running]

Jellypuff の投稿を引用：

Start_Running の投稿を引用：

With that logic, that's like saying you can't tell if you'll enjoy a dish before you're half way through it. Gotta learn to think a little more.

No. I've said, that you never truly know, if you're gonna enjoy a dish, before you actually given it a bite.

Sure, if it's called a "Strawberry Cake" and you know, that you like the taste of strawberries and that is has strawberries inside of it, you won't need to taste it first, to know, that it'll probably taste good to you. But neither would you need any other source of information.

because you've already been told the name, the in gredients and perhaps even shown a picture of it.

Games you have the titlke, description and screenshots/trailer. A=B.

The issue starts, if you get served a dish, with contents you never tasted before.

People who habitually order meals without enquiring as to the name, ingredients, etc normally don't focus on whether they like it, but rather just wanbt to say they experience it.

At the very least when it's presented the smell should give you a big hint.

Just saying that it's not hbard to know if you will like a game without playing it and ironically playing a demo is more likely to give you a misleading expoerience

[Amberbaum]

Start_Running の投稿を引用：

At the very least when it's presented the smell should give you a big hint.

Just saying that it's not hbard to know if you will like a game without playing it and ironically playing a demo is more likely to give you a misleading expoerience

The comparison with the dish you made makes no sense for people who are used to demos. I think you are generalising it. Just because you can recognise a bad purchase by the presentation alone doesn't mean that others can. Often it's the presentation and first impression that makes it look good, but you only can recognise the flaws on closer inspection. Which the presentation alone can't give you. What if you have a game that you are interested in but are on the fence? A demo would be helpful. I just recently played a demo from a game that I was unsure about whether I should buy it or not. The demo demonstrated all features of the game perfectly and I was happy to purchase it.

>I wouldn't have bought it without the demo, because I was unsure if it was any good.<

And then there a certain genres where you have a really hard time to see if the game is worth buying on the first glance alone.

[Start_Running]

Amberbaum の投稿を引用：

Start_Running の投稿を引用：

At the very least when it's presented the smell should give you a big hint.

Just saying that it's not hbard to know if you will like a game without playing it and ironically playing a demo is more likely to give you a misleading expoerience

The comparison with the dish you made makes no sense for people who are used to demos. I think you are generalising it. Just because you can recognise a bad purchase by the presentation alone doesn't mean that others can.

But anyone can learn to. See that's the thing. People are lazy.

Often it's the presentation and first impression that makes it look good, but you only can recognise the flaws on closer inspection.

Very few games have objective flaws. Most of these come down to not liking a certain element, which if you read the description, would clue you in.

The issue is, people have a nasty habit of clicking the buy button without doing any research. They're in a hurry to play the game.

>I wouldn't have bought it without the demo, because I was unsure if it was any good.<

And you my friend are a statistical outlier. Long story short. The cost of making a demo was not being recouped by an appreciable difference in sales. Or as said. If demos actually made a difference, a big difference, in the sales figures... they would be an industry standard again.

[Masq]

yes.

[Sa†o]

"Very few games have objective flaws. Most of these come down to not liking a certain element, which if you read the description, would clue you in."

Actually most people have technical issues these days, me included.

Everything from god awful optimization to unsupported hardwares that they never mention in the description untill later when they announce: "Oh it was made for controllers" "Oh it was made with ati/nvidia in mind" "oh we didnt think of 1080-4k!" "oh yes we said 60fps but you know sh!t happens..." and the list goes on and on and on and on.

How many countless games have people had to bite the bullet on simply of 1 factor: The game doesn't support the other gpu company.
No it doesn't say in the description: "Oh by the way, we don't support 50% of the market"

This is an objective grievance alot of people suffer from.

I used to ask myself: Will I like this game?
These days I ask myself: How much editing of files will I have to go through to get it running?

And no I don't run it on a wooden pc, quite the contrary.