First Release
- Thread starter Fonixed
- Start date
First off I don't know what your game is but good luck with it.
What I expect from a first release:
- an actual game prototype not some v0.001 pre-alpha bullshit. Keep working on it until you have something worth releasing
- clear and defined game mechanics. It is okay to make small adjustments during development but if the dev changes mechanics almost every update it is a big NO from me. It tells me that the dev didn't plan his game ahead.
- clear story direction. The full story is for the final game but the first release should give me a glimpse of the actual story to know where the game is going and if I am interested in it
Again it should be pretty defined by the time of your first release and not majorly changed during development
- something to hook the players. The first release is your first impression. Your game could be the best after it's final update but if your first release was not good players are not coming back to it. So the first release should make an impact.
What I expect from a first release:
- an actual game prototype not some v0.001 pre-alpha bullshit. Keep working on it until you have something worth releasing
- clear and defined game mechanics. It is okay to make small adjustments during development but if the dev changes mechanics almost every update it is a big NO from me. It tells me that the dev didn't plan his game ahead.
- clear story direction. The full story is for the final game but the first release should give me a glimpse of the actual story to know where the game is going and if I am interested in it
Again it should be pretty defined by the time of your first release and not majorly changed during development
- something to hook the players. The first release is your first impression. Your game could be the best after it's final update but if your first release was not good players are not coming back to it. So the first release should make an impact.
- Jun 5, 2018
- 19
- 40
Whereas I agree on these first and last points wholeheartedly, I just wanted to chime in on the opposite direction for the other two points.
Although having a plan is probably a good idea and I'm not advocating against it in any way, it is equally important to be flexible with your design and accepting of inevitable change.
By you (OP) saying "first release" it makes me assume that you plan to have many releases after that, and ultimately those are going to be more important than the first one. Don't hold on to mechanics if they're holding you back, be open to change and understand that game development is most successful as an iterative process.
Other than that, I personally like early releases to show off both depth and breadth as best as possible, so instead of focusing everything on one chunk of the game or spreading everything out to introduce as many features as early as possible, the game has a bit of both, giving a tease of depth for a single direction, but also demonstrating that the game will have other things as well. Unless your game is very linear, in which case that isn't relevant.
- Sep 6, 2018
- 29
- 18
Having understandable mechanics, good story, and a decent hook are all good words of advice for a first release(a summary from catapo). Don't stress too much about what you'll be changing later on. So long as you avoid the Faux Pas of swapping themes then you should be just fine.
You must show story. Some short part of it. Than your skills about renders, animations on some scene to show what quality players can except in next releases. And show some game mechanics. Like if the game will be free to run or straight etc.
Try my release of my game 0.1. (click on banner in signature) .Many players saying this was the one of best 0.1 releases they played for long time. But still it have few mistakes and fault I must repair in next releases.