this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2024
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To imagine there was a long time games didn't offer enough demos anymore, and now we get so much that they need to be filtered ๐
Shovelware demos are useless.
I remember the time I played the demo for farming sim and DOA:Dimensions to death on my 3DS. Those were actually good demos.
Yeah it doesn't compare to old-school demos like stuff that came on discs with magazines, but at least it's a lot better getting the option to try something instead of buying and refunding everything. And at least some bigger studios and indi games are picking up on this as well.
For sure. But I hope they use the Steam Demo feature (same game page with a demo install button) instead of doing a free and premium type of publishing like they do with phone apps
It's not just phone apps, look at this shit on a big-name Steam game:
Calling your free trial "definitive edition" and having the "base game" as a paid DLC is purposely misleading
I mean... Aoe3 always had some sort of a demo version. Even the original base game had it. In fact, this is actually better, as now you are able to use 3 rotating civs, not just the English and the French, which you were forced to use before.
It's more than fine to have a demo, just call it a demo rather than tricking people into thinking it's the full version for free!
:(
Why tho
Presumably for the free marketing of appearing in the free-to-play list
This was more meant as a rhetoric question but it's most likely as you said. A bit annoying indeed.
I am not sure what demos you mention in particular but the one I recently played is news tower and I am hooked. Just waiting for a good sale to snag the game and even stopped posting the demo mid way. I for one appreciate all the demos being put out even if it is short. Their only purpose is to showcase the full game and they do a decent job of that.
I never said demos for actual decent games are bad. Just that trash games and asset swap games are and polluting the search results and library.
It's the current Steam publishing meta. A free demo will create traffic for the newly created Steam page of your game, resulting in more Wishlistings, which is usually the only way to be featured and seen anywhere before release for indie developers. And that's how your Wishlistings really explode and you make a lot of sales. Getting a demo out is by far highest priority for game publishing in 2024.
Hell yeah. Valve is making consumer friendly practices the industry meta!
The thing is, we don't need a demo trending page all that much. Since you says will find the demos only game store page, they ain't looking at the trending list to find them
this is the best timeline
I have a feeling a lot of these demos were just trying to game that very "new and trending" page, and this change will produce fewer demos.