A Demo!
Yes, you heard it here first!Or again if you've been in a few other places, but you know what I mean.
Soon, people will be able to play the game without having to spend a dime- try before you buy as they say. I would not want you, a potential customer, to end up purchasing something that you would not want and/or enjoy. It would just be a lose-lose for us both if that happened.
So! Look forward to a demo; one you can freely share with friends or just use to try out the game yourself!
And, with the release of the demo, I'll be able to get more feedback on the game without having people having to wait for a key, or be given the unfortunate news that I can't keep giving them out.
Transparency:
A little heads-up.
Since this will be a demo, not all features will be available, as to be expected of a demo since, well... having the demo just be the full game wouldn't make very much sense.
What You Can Expect in the Demo
2 Players Only
I was a little on the fence with this one, but it is what I have decided on for now. The point of the demo is for players to get a feel of the game, not to have a free game, so limitations were needed as to balance out presentation and replayability. Obviously, I want you to have fun with the game, but not so much to where the Demo becomes a "free game". Though, for some, that may be the case since the planned Demo's features will still offer enough to challenge someone; more akin to Checkers in that it can be a quick game depending on player skill.
1 Map
This was chosen for the same reasons above. Think, a small boardgame that you can pull out for a quick game, versus a much larger game. This map will also be in the final game, so you can hone your skills and memory of the board in preparation for the future release into Early Access.
Limited Customization
Truth be told, I may just change the demo to leave this out, since customization is a fun concept in games. Only giving players 3 colors and 3 banners feels too limiting, so we'll see.
A Final Note:
Do keep in mind that I can change the demo at any time (I hope), so I may add more to showcase more mechanics for free. But this weighs heavier as a result of what kind of feedback I get. Obviously, just asking me to put more in the demo so that it resembles the full game even more isn't going to be a valid reason or critique, for very obvious reasons. But I do want future customers to get a sense of the gameplay and mechanics to help fully inform their purchase decision, so change may come. Especially as I add even more to the game over time and wish to showcase bits and bobs of the newly added mechanics.