Dev Log 6: How I'm Preparing to Showcase at PAX West 2018 with Indie MEGABOOTH
This week, I decided to put the deck builder interface on hold and begin preparations for our upcoming trip to PAX. Having run the booth at a few conventions in the past, I know that having the right materials and setup are essential to a successful show.
The Indie MINIBOOTH SetupWe'll be showcasing Summoners Fate with the Indie MINIBOOTH. One thing I really like about this setup is that it takes a lot of pressure off the logistics and planning of a larger booth. The Indie MEGABOOTH team houses 12 teams in the MINIBOOTH on any given day (we'll be showing on Sunday and Monday) and provides everyone with the same standard setup that includes:
- A red IKEA Kallax shelve in the background with the following dimensions:
Width: 30 3/8 ", Depth: 15 3/8 ", Height: 57 7/8 " or Width: 77 cm, Depth: 39 cm, Height: 147 cm - A white standing height table - the metal construction you can see in the front
- 27" monitor 2560x1440p resolution
- AORUS Elite Dream Machine computer with mouse, keyboard, headset, mousepad and wired Xbox gamepad
- Monitor topper with our game's logo
To ensure each developer in the space has adequate room, additional standing accessories not attached to the kiosk (ex: standing banners) are not allowed in the MINIBOOTH. Since I'll be running the booth solo, this setup is perfect: I don't have to worry about additional costs of renting or transporting equipment which can easily add up to anywhere in the ballpark of $2K-$10K.
All that being said, one might say my job is pretty easy: just show up! Actually, there's still a lot of room to be creative with marketing and help my game stand out to the thousands of show-goers that will be passing through the convention.
Preparing the Game for Convention ShowcaseLet's start with the most important part: the game itself. The biggest eye-catcher I have is the action happening on that 27" monitor. If that monitor is stuck in a static menu screen while I'm chatting with players, it's not going to be as appealing for newcomers as action like fireballs exploding and dragons flying in. To that end, I modified the game to incorporate our game trailer (which has all that good stuff) so that during any periods where the gamer seat isn't hot, it's playing our best gameplay footage on a loop to draw interest. Also, if a player decides to get up and walk away, it'll monitor user activity and flip back to the trailer automatically so I don't have to.
Keeping the Player EngagedPlayers are going to experience a game differently at a convention like PAX than they will when they're playing at home. There's so much excitement that goes on at conventions that I can't expect gamers to become as fully absorbed in Summoners Fate as I might like - especially since our game (being tactical and turn based) is relatively more complex than an action plat-former. To keep players engaged, I'm aiming for a 10-15 minute target experience. My goal is to tantalize players with
the unique elements our game has to offer so they walk away feeling excited and wanting more.
My top concern is that the first impression players have will likely become their lasting impression. If I reduce the gameplay to a quick PvP battle, players might disregard the game as a tactical combat engine when there are so many more unique things it offers: creative deck building, branching levels with diverse paths, progression and story telling, etc. Plus, there's a good chance the more subtle combat elements may be missed or overlooked. To mitigate this risk, I'm doing my best to design the demo so it offers a broader scope: shorter combat sequences with more exciting finales, opportunities for players to choose cards to incorporate in their deck and power up their main character, a chance to choose a path in the campaign, and a final boss combat encounter. This is harder than it sounds because I need to create the right experience that delivers on these goals without being forcible or "hand-holdy" in the outcomes. I find players derive the most meaning when their actions come from their own planned decisions, not the ones I make for them as a game designer.
Creating a Memorable BoothNow, let's talk about the booth itself. Having looked at some of the past designs, my eye was drawn to the booths that had a professionally printed banner depicting the game's key-art and logo, like this one:
I stopped by my local FedEx Kinkos, Office Max, and a local print-shop to explore options and pricing. Ultimately, I discovered ordering online was both cheaper, easier, and had more options that better suited my needs. I settled on a 72"x24", grommeted and hemmed Vinyl banner from signs.com that I plan to wrap around the front and sides of the kiosk using non-residue adhesive wall hooks.
The other key item I wanted was a take-away card for guests that stopped by the booth: something with key art and information about our game they could place in their goodie bag to remind them of their experience with us. These are also perfect to attach promo codes to if I decide to do a game key give-away. I created this on signs.com as well as a 6"x4" glossy post card:
In total (with free shipping and a 15% discount code I found online) I paid $88 for the banner and 500 cards. For means of comparison, a single color sheet (which I could have used to make 2 cards) would have cost anywhere between $0.88 - $1.29 at local print shops. That would have been over $200 just for the cards, let alone the banner - so ordering online is DEFINITELY the way to go!
Finally, I felt it imperative that I, myself, standout from the crowd so gamers know exactly who the dev team of this game is. Behold my Summoner's Fate T-shirt sporting our game logo on front and company logo on back. ($28 from customizedgirl.com)
Just needs a little ironing
Total Cost Breakdown:- Indie MINIBOOTH Booth Cost: $1200
- Marketing Materials (Banner, 500 giveaway cards, T-shirt): $116
- Airfare (SLC to Seattle): $390
- Hotel: $0 (My awesome game designer friend is letting me stay with her!)
Grand Total: $1706
Add in costs for uber, food, etc. and I think I'll probably balance out just under $2K for two-days of showcasing plus an extra day to walk-around Saturday and take-in the experience. I'll be showing at PAX Sunday August 2nd and Monday August 3rd. I hope to see you there and I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes!
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