How big can a demo be? 50 MB? 500 MB?

Enter the Story · 09-06-2006, 01:49 AM

Further to recent threads, I am wondering how big is "acceptable" for a demo? My finished game will be around 600 MB. Maybe 500 minimum. The simplest way for me to make a demo would be to just disable a few parts, but that would mean the demo was 500 MB.

A major selling point of this game is the huge game world: right from the start the user can explore hundreds of locations. At the start you can walk north, south, east, west, enter buildings, etc., and just keep going. But all of this takes up disk space. The more that I cut out, the less interesting the game becomes. I could probably work out some compromise, allowing the first chapter of the game but blocking off a lot of streets, then adding a slideshow of the rest. But I need to balance freedom and file size.

I wonder, what is an acceptable size for a demo for a casual user?

kuze · 09-06-2006, 01:56 AM

Demos of many current games are 1 GB and above, people are getting used to it. I'd rather not just "disable" parts of the final game but let them out completely though, since a demo containing the full game inside is just too tempting not to try and "unlock" the extra content.

EvilMulder · 09-06-2006, 02:52 AM

You can always offer both a full and a lite demo.

jannar85 · 09-06-2006, 03:00 AM

Or one stripped version. Hell, I downloaded the demo of Al Emmo which was over 400 MB. Getting used to such.

tsa · 09-06-2006, 03:03 AM

Dial-in is soooo yesterday!

Enter the Story · 09-06-2006, 09:30 AM

This is good news. My village only got broadband last Christmas, so I'm still thinking in terms of dial up. Good news indeed. Thanks.

JohnGreenArt · 09-06-2006, 09:38 AM

A large file demo is fine, but if possible make a trailer of the game that's around 5-15megs. This way someone can at least see the game played a bit before proceeding with a giant download.

Legolas813 · 09-06-2006, 02:57 PM

I say let a demo be as big as it needs to be.

Scoville · 09-06-2006, 03:25 PM

I think it depends on your distribution method. If you are primarily selling your game through a digital download, the full game will be too large for anyone on dial-up to purchase. It wouldn't make sense in that situation to make a small demo for the sake of dial-up users as they wouldn't be able to buy the full game anyway. If you are selling boxed copies of the game, it would make sense to have a smaller demo or a small trailer, or possibly both a small and large demo.

Legolas813 · 09-06-2006, 03:27 PM

I don't think developers should limit what they put into their games just because some people are still stuck in the dial-up age.

*stuboy* · 09-06-2006, 04:25 PM

Disable irrelevant parts and lose art/audio assets. Even on broadband, you'll still put off potential customers if you force them to download a bunch of irrelevant stuff.

artwking4 · 09-06-2006, 08:31 PM

I think that the demo should be needlessly bigger than the actual game.

Kolzig · 09-07-2006, 12:12 PM

Because this is in the Underground, I'll say that a AGU game demo should be 50-200MB, but otherwise modern demos tend to be about 400-600MB, so that is acceptable.

But stuff like the new Source engine Might&Magic game demo is over 1GB, and that's just insane.

Candle · 09-07-2006, 02:29 PM

Emmo_Demo_Setup.exe
234 MB (246,289,273 bytes)

RLacey · 09-08-2006, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuboy

Disable irrelevant parts and lose art/audio assets. Even on broadband, you'll still put off potential customers if you force them to download a bunch of irrelevant stuff.

Agreed. It seems stupid to include assets that don't actually feature in the demo (unless the full game is simply going to be an unlocked version of the demo).

lopo · 09-08-2006, 04:11 AM

Secret Files: Tunguska demo is 574mb im downloading it rite now

damn i looked it in here that release date is 4 sept. now i look that it will be released in 28 sept. well broken sword 4 is coming out but it is bs ... broken sword 1-2 was good 3-4 is bs i cant say that they are no more adventure games they look like shooting games or strategy games like age of ampire and so on to view carater in 3d and he moves with keyboard what realy sucks ... well u can move him useng mouse to but thats not better wey to controll in that game

Kolzig · 09-08-2006, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Candle

Emmo_Demo_Setup.exe
234 MB (246,289,273 bytes)

I don't consider Al Emmo to be exactly Undeground, it's just so well done, production values are really high imo.

rlpw · 09-18-2006, 09:04 AM

Don't worry to much about the size Tolworthy. All most folks need is a download manager so they can break it up into pieces or they can start it and go to bed and the manager will turn the PC off when it's done.

Here's a free one that works real well with IE and Firefox http://freedownloadmanager.org/

Enter the Story · 09-24-2006, 10:26 PM

There seems to be agreement here that "big is OK." That's good to hear. For the demo I will probably have the first quarter of the main story, plus a slide-show to illustrate a few hundred other scenes. Should come in at about 250 MB or so.

Davies · 10-07-2006, 03:35 AM

The real question is not how big, but what to include. A demo should have enough in it to get your potential customer hooked and happy, but not so much that they're content just to play the demo as a game in itself.

If the game is divided into levels, the first level is a good chunk to give away as a demo. They can get to the end of the level and feel rewarded, but want to play more.

If it's not divided into levels, then maybe you can think of an equivalent chunk of game. Perhaps from the beginning up to solving the first major puzzle? You want to leave them feeling that they've done something and been rewarded, not just cut off arbitrarily.

Two non-level-based demos I enjoyed so much that I eventually went out and bought the full games were:
Roller Coaster Tycoon -- You can do all the actions without restriction, but only for 15 minutes before the demo shuts down automatically. This is enough time to learn your way around and get a decent little theme park set up, but not quite enough to feel that you've done all you wanted.
Emergency Room -- The full game has more than 100 patients to treat. The demo has 10 or 12, but in a wide variety of cases from simple to complicated. You can play the demo as long as you like, with no restrictions on time or gameplay, but eventually you'll want to expand to the full game just to handle more cases.

By the way, if you leave out some bells and whistles, such as background music, make sure you explain very clearly that it's included in the full game. If the demo is too cut-down, it will just look like the game is cheap and nasty.

View Poll Results: What is the biggest acceptable demo for a casual visitor?
under 5 MB	0	0%
5-10 MB	0	0%
10-20 MB	2	4.55%
20-50 MB	7	15.91%
50-200 MB	8	18.18%
over 200 MB	27	61.36%
Voters: 44. You may not vote on this poll

09-06-2006, 01:49 AM	#1
Enter the Story I turn novels into games Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Scotland Posts: 307	How big can a demo be? 50 MB? 500 MB? Further to recent threads, I am wondering how big is "acceptable" for a demo? My finished game will be around 600 MB. Maybe 500 minimum. The simplest way for me to make a demo would be to just disable a few parts, but that would mean the demo was 500 MB. A major selling point of this game is the huge game world: right from the start the user can explore hundreds of locations. At the start you can walk north, south, east, west, enter buildings, etc., and just keep going. But all of this takes up disk space. The more that I cut out, the less interesting the game becomes. I could probably work out some compromise, allowing the first chapter of the game but blocking off a lot of streets, then adding a slideshow of the rest. But I need to balance freedom and file size. I wonder, what is an acceptable size for a demo for a casual user? Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Enter The Story: Classic novels as games

09-06-2006, 01:56 AM	#2
kuze In an evening of July... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 1,215	Demos of many current games are 1 GB and above, people are getting used to it. I'd rather not just "disable" parts of the final game but let them out completely though, since a demo containing the full game inside is just too tempting not to try and "unlock" the extra content. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-06-2006, 02:52 AM	#3
EvilMulder Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 229	You can always offer both a full and a lite demo. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-06-2006, 03:00 AM	#4
jannar85 I create. Therefore I am. Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Norway Posts: 518	Or one stripped version. Hell, I downloaded the demo of Al Emmo which was over 400 MB. Getting used to such. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Regards Atle Ragnar Jarnæs Lerøy ~Working on the upcoming adventure game, Roger Foodbelly~ Click the name, to join its Facebook Page! My Games

09-06-2006, 03:03 AM	#5
tsa Playing character Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Netherlands Posts: 7,472	Dial-in is soooo yesterday! Share Share this post on Twitter

09-06-2006, 09:30 AM	#6
Enter the Story I turn novels into games Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Scotland Posts: 307	This is good news. My village only got broadband last Christmas, so I'm still thinking in terms of dial up. Good news indeed. Thanks. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Enter The Story: Classic novels as games

09-06-2006, 09:38 AM	#7
JohnGreenArt Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 273	A large file demo is fine, but if possible make a trailer of the game that's around 5-15megs. This way someone can at least see the game played a bit before proceeding with a giant download. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ "Games are fun. Making games is funner!"

09-06-2006, 02:57 PM	#8
Legolas813 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 1,783	I say let a demo be as big as it needs to be. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-06-2006, 03:25 PM	#9
Scoville Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 324	I think it depends on your distribution method. If you are primarily selling your game through a digital download, the full game will be too large for anyone on dial-up to purchase. It wouldn't make sense in that situation to make a small demo for the sake of dial-up users as they wouldn't be able to buy the full game anyway. If you are selling boxed copies of the game, it would make sense to have a smaller demo or a small trailer, or possibly both a small and large demo. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-06-2006, 03:27 PM	#10
Legolas813 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 1,783	I don't think developers should limit what they put into their games just because some people are still stuck in the dial-up age. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-06-2006, 04:25 PM	#11
stuboy Staff Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 531	Disable irrelevant parts and lose art/audio assets. Even on broadband, you'll still put off potential customers if you force them to download a bunch of irrelevant stuff. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ (Already hates your game)

09-06-2006, 08:31 PM	#12
artwking4 Jack Bauer loves you Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 1,524	I think that the demo should be needlessly bigger than the actual game. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. -- Robert A. Heinlein

09-07-2006, 12:12 PM	#13
Kolzig The Reggienator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Vaasa, Finland Posts: 5,519	Because this is in the Underground, I'll say that a AGU game demo should be 50-200MB, but otherwise modern demos tend to be about 400-600MB, so that is acceptable. But stuff like the new Source engine Might&Magic game demo is over 1GB, and that's just insane. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ "The old standby, that never got old in the first place. We come back to them weekly, nightly, for hours at a time--and they always deliver. They are pure, timeless, and often taken for granted." - Nick Breckon - Shacknews My gamesale list updated 26.8.2007 Hey, dear people please buy my games, I need money to conquer Europe! Or do something similar.

09-07-2006, 02:29 PM	#14
Candle Psycho Game Maker Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 208	Emmo_Demo_Setup.exe 234 MB (246,289,273 bytes) Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Enjoy today as Yesterday is gone and Tomorrow may never come! My Web site Deveron Murder Mystery Game Mikes Room

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09-08-2006, 04:11 AM	#16
lopo Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Estonia (Estland) Posts: 58	Secret Files: Tunguska demo is 574mb im downloading it rite now damn i looked it in here that release date is 4 sept. now i look that it will be released in 28 sept. well broken sword 4 is coming out but it is bs ... broken sword 1-2 was good 3-4 is bs i cant say that they are no more adventure games they look like shooting games or strategy games like age of ampire and so on to view carater in 3d and he moves with keyboard what realy sucks ... well u can move him useng mouse to but thats not better wey to controll in that game Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ [/PAN]http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9...coupe121mk.jpg

09-18-2006, 09:04 AM	#18
rlpw Creepy Father Figure Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas Dammit! Posts: 5,107	Don't worry to much about the size Tolworthy. All most folks need is a download manager so they can break it up into pieces or they can start it and go to bed and the manager will turn the PC off when it's done. Here's a free one that works real well with IE and Firefox http://freedownloadmanager.org/ Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ The Nature Conservancy www.soulpancake.com www.ted.com Twitter

09-24-2006, 10:26 PM	#19
Enter the Story I turn novels into games Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Scotland Posts: 307	There seems to be agreement here that "big is OK." That's good to hear. For the demo I will probably have the first quarter of the main story, plus a slide-show to illustrate a few hundred other scenes. Should come in at about 250 MB or so. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Enter The Story: Classic novels as games

10-07-2006, 03:35 AM	#20
Davies Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Somewhere in England Posts: 403	The real question is not how big, but what to include. A demo should have enough in it to get your potential customer hooked and happy, but not so much that they're content just to play the demo as a game in itself. If the game is divided into levels, the first level is a good chunk to give away as a demo. They can get to the end of the level and feel rewarded, but want to play more. If it's not divided into levels, then maybe you can think of an equivalent chunk of game. Perhaps from the beginning up to solving the first major puzzle? You want to leave them feeling that they've done something and been rewarded, not just cut off arbitrarily. Two non-level-based demos I enjoyed so much that I eventually went out and bought the full games were: Roller Coaster Tycoon -- You can do all the actions without restriction, but only for 15 minutes before the demo shuts down automatically. This is enough time to learn your way around and get a decent little theme park set up, but not quite enough to feel that you've done all you wanted. Emergency Room -- The full game has more than 100 patients to treat. The demo has 10 or 12, but in a wide variety of cases from simple to complicated. You can play the demo as long as you like, with no restrictions on time or gameplay, but eventually you'll want to expand to the full game just to handle more cases. By the way, if you leave out some bells and whistles, such as background music, make sure you explain very clearly that it's included in the full game. If the demo is too cut-down, it will just look like the game is cheap and nasty. Share Share this post on Twitter