Great change imo. The new & trending tab feels a lot more useful now that it isn’t 50% demos.

  • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 months ago

    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.

    • PunchingWood@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      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.

      • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        3 months ago

        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

        • smeg@feddit.uk
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          3 months ago

          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

          • Infinitus@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            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.

            • smeg@feddit.uk
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              3 months ago

              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!

            • smeg@feddit.uk
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              3 months ago

              Presumably for the free marketing of appearing in the free-to-play list

              • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                3 months ago

                This was more meant as a rhetoric question but it’s most likely as you said. A bit annoying indeed.

    • RogueBanana@lemmy.zip
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      3 months ago

      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.

      • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        3 months ago

        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.