What do you think the pros and cons are with promoting your own game?
I get the feeling that people tend to have rather short memories, only the most recent games at TDC get a mention in any list of (best ever) besides the odd exception. Also every time a half decent game comes out it's always met with 'better than the rest of the crap at TDC' and such comments. Not really fair to those that have recently released a game.
The same goes for people anticipating games, only the most promoted games get talked about which is understandable i guess, but it seems that people will automatically like your game if tell them it's good before it's released.
I make a point not to hype my current game, and I noticed in a past topic about 'games you're looking forward too' no one even mentioned my game until i jogged their memory.
So is it better to promote your own game, or will you be making life hard for yourself to live up to peoples expectations?
Without hype I generally don't know about a game. The new preview section is good and all, but I don't check it often so I get all my Arcane Tales etc news from the boards. Trailers every so often in place of demos are a good call too.
Generally a game has to shout to be heard. And since we're doing this for free (mostly), since we don't have publishers then I say what's the harm? Hype gets me excited for a game.
I can't stand it when people hype their games, and get really cocky. In some cases it's understandable, the creator is excited about their own work, but personally I don't intend to hype any of my future games.
Also I think it's really unfair when people hype other people's games, it's really unfair on the creator of that game.
Originally Posted by Dr. James Without hype I generally don't know about a game.
Generally a game has to shout to be heard. And since we're doing this for free (mostly), since we don't have publishers then I say what's the harm? Hype gets me excited for a game.
Yep. I agree. Naturally, teams or individuals are going to hype their own games in order to promote it to the public. Especially in such cases where the graphics low-key. Lots of people miss out on GREAT games, because the first thing you see or look for about a game, is generally a screenshot - how the game looks. We all go on looks first, then personality.. no, cmon, it's true
In such cases, hype is required!? Without decent graphics or an awesome concept - You need to list what is in it, what makes it good and seperates it from the rest of the games alike it..! It doesn't just apply to games either - it's called ADVERTISING!!!!!!! You see adverts for crappy cars on TV.. sure, they probably suck and they're annoying adverts - but without advertising it, who is going to buy it!?
You can't blame people for advertising and providing hype for their latest games. I think the only danger with it, is hyping it all up so much that when it is released, the fans are let down considerably. But is that the fault of the producer, or the public? You'll never know just how good a game is until you physically play it, but if it looks awesome to you, you're going to be looking forward to it.
There's tonnes more I could say here but my coffee is getting cold
I guess it's okay as long as you're relatively subtle about it. Putting a link in your sig, or posting a trailer on the forums is quite acceptable in my opinion. But spamming people is definitely not the right way to go about it.
But in the other hand, if your game is that great and everything, then you won't need to tell people about it yourself. If your game is awesome, someone else will say it for you. And if your game is crap, hyping it won't make it any better, it'll only earn you a few extra downloads (and, consequently, a few extra thumbs down).
Yeah well my game is so awesome you'll find the experience of playing it orgasmic. Every other game is like a pile of poo poo compared. Everyone download now because it's so good and IF YOU DONT YOU SUCK AND ARE MISSING OUT.
You announce that you're working on a new game. You post screenshots at your website / projects page. The community pick up on the screenshots and give their opinion. Word spreads. Soon you're on the front page of many klik news websites. You get caught up in the hype that you generated and want to push your product further, harder.
And this is where it can go wrong - by releasing a trailer. A trailer is a guarenteed make-or-break way of getting attention. Games like Bonesaw, Mina of the Pirates, Tormishire, Satan Sam have had a lot of eyes on them because of the awesome looking trailer. If you nail the trailer, you've got the anticipation there for you and automatically you are treated as being "in the upper echelons" of the klik community.
Then you've got the pressure to get it as close to 100% perfect as you can - which means dedicating time - which means people constantly asking you when the games coming out. And, 5 years down the line, when everybodys moved on, focussing on the next big trailer, you release your game to little or no fanfare!
Be it known I've played your various MSD2 CD trailers a few times over
Trailers should work as demos. In that they give an approximate view of the final game. It's too easy to just show all the best big bits (and this is crucial I think) which hurts the final product in that it's not like that all the way through. They're also good for showing things that static screenshots don't get across.
If you're working on a good little project that you're working hard on then it's only right to release new info as it comes in. But not spill out too much as to give story and other little secret bits away. Like any media you have to leave people wanting more if you believe the end product is aptly deserved.
I think that Hyping a game up should be done when the game is only a few months or less from being finished. That's the ideal time to throw a trailer at the target audience.
Pros: greater chance of downloads/purchases initially, overhype can sometimes make a game seem better or actually BE better than it actually is. Halo 2 is one such Overhyped game. I played games that were just as good, and some better that simply Died because of lack of hype.
Cons: lack of respect/trust/sales/downloads on other games you have created if your game stinks after hyping it. Pressure to make it live up to the Legend made by the Hype. Angry Fans if a sequel is not better than the first especially if hyped up.
Blood of the Ancient One, Seen only as Shadow, Faster than Lightning, Fierce as the Greatest Dragon, Nearly Invisible, Floating in a Dream, Entered through the Demon Door, Destroyer of Evil in a Realm with a Red Sky Scarred, Who could I be ?
Trailers are purely a form of hype. They hardly show anything about the gameplay, just a few minutes glimpse and only the best part. It's easy to misunderstand. I think trailers are best left to companies that make money from more people playing.. because you're more likely to disappoint than to make anyone excited.
But yeah, hype is better left till you're at most a month away from finishing the game. Sometimes you have a great idea, like Trigger Happy 2, which looks like it'll go along great.. but in the middle you just lose steam. Sometimes all the crazy, angry fans make you more tired. It's better left for the end where you're sure it'll be completed, regardless of what happens.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
HL2 won some pity points just because of a hacker. But a lot of people hated it. I, personally, don't like all the puzzles getting in the flow of the game. I'd rather just run through the game shooting stuff or using the puzzles to find an easier way to kill stuff, rather than climb/swim over/under something.
The only hype that ever affected was Medieval 2: TW and I found that pretty disappointing, because the AI and 'feel' were worse than Rome TW, but the new units and gameplay made up for it. Oh, and I bought the copy of Black & White 2 and Neverwinter Nights 2 as soon as they came out too. NWN 2 wasn't bad, but was uglier than it should be.
I hope Fallout 3, Mafia 2, and Spore won't be disappointing..
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
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