Post by Jonathan K-Q on May 27, 2018 4:12:14 GMT
So I mentioned in the last post that we've been working on a demo for Dreamhack Austin. Hoo-boy and have we. It's been a long jag of work, work, work for the both of us, but it looks like we're closing in on a complete, functional, and hopefully exciting demo just in time. We even have a nice little peek at it for your viewing and commenting pleasure right here!
So I learned a lot about designing and writing for demos from this experience and I thought I'd share it with you, because I think it's interesting. Demo design and writing are uniquely challenging because the needs of a demo are at odds with the best practices of writing and design. For example, design-wise, it's important to give players time to mess around with and practice each new skill they learn. Demos often require you to show off as much of the game in as little time as you can. Story-wise, it is critical that a demo is completely unnecessary to play so that people can enjoy the main game without it. When writing a good story for its own sake, however, it is important to have a good story-based reason why you're writing about this particular series of events instead of any other, otherwise why do we care? These contradictions are why demos often just use the first few levels of the main game or rely on side stories that don't relate much to the main plot. I can't of course guarantee that the demo is as compelling as it could be, but I do hope it serves as an engaging introduction to our game and characters.
So all that said, I’m looking forward to seeing this demo in the wild. I won't personally be available at Dreamhack, but I do hope anyone reading this will swing by our booth and see Mitchell there. Tell him the disembodied voice on the internet said hi. Look for Rosae Ex Ludis in the GamerFace area on Friday the 1st from 2:30-5:00pm.
So I learned a lot about designing and writing for demos from this experience and I thought I'd share it with you, because I think it's interesting. Demo design and writing are uniquely challenging because the needs of a demo are at odds with the best practices of writing and design. For example, design-wise, it's important to give players time to mess around with and practice each new skill they learn. Demos often require you to show off as much of the game in as little time as you can. Story-wise, it is critical that a demo is completely unnecessary to play so that people can enjoy the main game without it. When writing a good story for its own sake, however, it is important to have a good story-based reason why you're writing about this particular series of events instead of any other, otherwise why do we care? These contradictions are why demos often just use the first few levels of the main game or rely on side stories that don't relate much to the main plot. I can't of course guarantee that the demo is as compelling as it could be, but I do hope it serves as an engaging introduction to our game and characters.
So all that said, I’m looking forward to seeing this demo in the wild. I won't personally be available at Dreamhack, but I do hope anyone reading this will swing by our booth and see Mitchell there. Tell him the disembodied voice on the internet said hi. Look for Rosae Ex Ludis in the GamerFace area on Friday the 1st from 2:30-5:00pm.