Re: [GD-Design] demo vs complete game

[<phi...@pl...>]

> > I believe this is a good general principle. If you want to play it a
second
> > time (as in, a second session, not a second go), you should probably
buy
> > it.
> >
> > The first time is free.

> That way, you can never show the game to a friend that is on visit
though.
> People will delete the game instead. Thats a visibility potential you
> loose there.

Nah, I'm not saying you can only play it once, that would be fairly dumb.
What I'm actually proposing is that the demo doesn't store any information
between sessions. No settings, preferences, hi-score tables, save games,
progress, stats, or even a flag to say you've played it before. On quitting
the session, you should show an easily quittable slideshow of features in
the full version, and a clickable link to a website where you can buy it.

Ideally it should be packaged as a single file that can be run from
anywhere. If you need to unpack data, do it to memory, not the disk. If you
do insist on crapping all over the users hard drive, then your uninstall
routine bloody well better work. The single file encourages secondary
distribution. If your friend comes over, plays the demo, and likes it, you
always have the distribution file to copy, because it is the game. Or you
can mail it to him, or whatever.


1: Do not piss off potential customers.
2: Make it easy for them to give you money.
3: Your game should be the best advertisment for your game.

I'd also reccomend using something like PayPal. Their interface is scarily
easy to use from a customers perspective. I've stopped halfway through
buying cheap stuff just because I had to type in my address, and CC number.

Cheers,
Phil

PS So yes, the second and subsequent times are still as free as the first
one, but you have to do all of the setup and config work again. You sort of
expect to do that the first time, so the I guess the first time is still
effectively cheaper.