Posting a WIP?

What’d be the stance on posting a WIP piece for a kind of … public beta-ing? I have something that’s about 50% done, playable and has enough content for feedback and I’d like to get a wider range of feedback. I’d update the game as I work on it and get feedback and incorporate said feedback, etc.

Would that be all right to post in the Announcements and Beta forum? Or should I hold off 'til there’s a complete work? It’s my first piece that I feel confident will get finished, but I think putting it up for feedback before it’s finalised will encourage me to actually finish it (because a bunch of people saw me post it and I can’t pretend it just never happened) and might serve as, well, moral encouragement to keep going, something I’ve been struggling with.

Anyway, mod word on this?

Mod word is go for it! Be clear that it’s a beta in your post (maybe put it in the title) - that’s all we ask.

One thing to note is that we’re currently in IFComp season, so most people hanging out in these forums are deluged with new games via IFComp. It may be better to wait until post-IFComp for more attention.

If you might enter your WIP in a future comp, be aware that some comps prohibit entering games that have already been publicly released. I think that the sort of public beta that you’re proposing here would count as a release. You could avoid this by posting a “looking for testers” message (after comp season) and providing respondents with a link to your WIP instead of posting it directly.

(Just clarification - you probably shouldn’t post the WIP directly in the forum. Post a request for volunteers and send it privately.)

I don’t think I’ll be entering this piece in a comp. Not that I don’t think it’s comp-worthy, it’s more that I think I’ll have newer, better ideas by the time more comps come around.