Shareware demo opinion question.

[Punisher]

I have seen a few releases recently that have demos based on a timer, IE: the demo is disabled after 60 minutes or whatever.

Question.
Would you prefer a deo that is the complete game, but time limited(where theoretically, if good enough, you could complete the game in the time limit since it is complete). You also have the option of paying for it and removing the time limit.
OR
a demo that has no time limit, but only contains a few levels (IE: the "standard" demo type)

My answer depends on release time. Close to release, the full timer one would work, just in case I want to play more, but if release is more then 3-4 weeks away, an unlimited time demo is preferred.

[Grievous Angel]

Just a few levels will do. I don't want to be pressured into moving forward because there's only a limited time to play. I'm more of a slow and steady gamer.

[how786]

I recently did a demo that self-destructed in 10 days. I really dislike that.
  I'd prefer one mission, a few levels whatever. Putting a timer on things gets me annoyed.
 How786

[StormcloudCreations]

I agree...time-limited demos are annoying. I prefer feature or progress limited demos (which is what I use for my own stuff). Less gamer annoyance and you can take your time and get familiar with the game.

Generally quickie puzzle games like to use the 30-minute or 7 day destruct format, which I can sort of understand. You don't want "give away" too much.

[Misguided]

The best demos I have ever seen were complete games that were disabled in some way so they weren't fully functional. You get to a certain point and they say "Register now for 14.95" and get back to playing immediately.

Of course this might work better for some games than others, but I've seen it done very well with RPG (e.g. Spiderweb Software's stuff) and arcade games (Ricochet).

These work well because you can nab people on an impulse buy. They're having fun playing and don't mind dropping the 10 or 15 bucks to play some more. They've already had a chance to see the quality of the game.

One of the worst demos I ever played was for Zuma, which had a 60 minute limit, which wasn't enough to finish a single game if you're playing on an easy difficulty level.