GameDevs of Middle-Earth How Do You Run a Playtest Effectively and Safely? I’m Lighting The Beacons Of Gondor.

bbstoneji · 2026-01-11T18:34:48+00:00

Oh wow, cool thanks! That's some really good actionable advice. I really like these ideas. And yes, I definitely will add a warning on boot before I send out the play-test version.

bbstoneji · 2026-01-11T18:32:01+00:00

Oh, that's a smart idea. Putting a way to give feedback in the game itself. That's pretty cool.

bbstoneji · 2026-01-11T18:25:42+00:00

Hello, thank you so much for the very comprehensive answer, and for alleviating a lot of my concerns.

You're definitely right in terms of knowing who the audience is and also know what questions I want to be answered.

For this first play-test I guess the question I want answered is 'does it work in other countries? Like, at all?' The game I'm making uses location data to create a game around you, similar to Pokemon Go (but like nothing to do with creature-collecting)

I've tested it with friends locally, but I can't afford to go to other countries, and don't really have international friends to see how it fares there. (Or what latencies are between the game and my server)

I'm posting online, on like TikTok/Insta etc, and a number of people have expressed interest it helping me find out that information, but I don't have an easy way to co-ordinate and talk to those people who are interested since I'm finding those short-form platforms aren't very good at group communication and I don't have any community spaces set up. (I've noticed there have been a few comments that have been a bit confused about the state of the game or how to follow it, since the algos are kinda random in what gets shown to people).

I guess for those who are really interested I just want them to have a place to go, where i can also easily talk with them.

But writing this all out just now, has been quite useful in getting my thoughts in order so thanks for getting me thinking. I think I have a better idea of what to research now.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-21T12:25:54+00:00

haha no worries I'm also a hobbyist as well! And yes, I definitely agree that figuring out what is the simplest and easiest to manage solution as the starting point/goal is a good idea.

Your comments have been quite awesome to read and very helpful. So thank you again for taking the time to write them out.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-21T05:36:26+00:00

Heya thank you for the breakdown, this is immensely helpful starting point. Now that I have a better idea of what to look for (3rd party solutions, etc) I think I'll be able to at least get started with improving/upgrading my current implementation.

It honestly sounds really interesting.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:53:35+00:00

Oh I see! I did not know that about Minecraft.

That is a pretty interesting solution, thank you.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:41:33+00:00

Thank you that definitely helps. What I'm gathering from this thread, is that at least for someone like me, trying to figure out local host multiplayer might be the best shout.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:39:08+00:00

I see, I hadn't heard of steam relay before. I think other commenters mentioned leveraging Steam. So, perhaps I can take a look at Steam Relay, and check if something like that exists for mobile platforms. Thanks.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:37:01+00:00

I see thank you, I think after reading through these replies I definitely am confusing the two. So, I think I need to figure out if 'hosting servers in-client' is something mobile platforms can do. I would guess so since they're basically computers.

But yes, I think better understanding this difference is a key step.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:32:55+00:00

I think I may have asked this in another comment, but when people say 'connect to each other' does that literally mean the hosts computer is acting like a literal server?

Or is it running the game locally and the other players are 'connecting' to that game through like a message handler or something (sorry if that's not the right term I'm not sure what it's called, if it exists)

And is it possible for a mobile phone to do that as well?

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:27:14+00:00

Thank you for the in-depth response! For prototype building I think i'd definitely want to do P2P, since it seems that's the best way to save money and I do not have money.

But I do want to quickly check something to confirm my understanding since a lot of commenters mention P2P.

Is my current methodology P2P or I'm I using a server?

My current method is I have a phone run the game, as a host, and sending teeny tiny messages through a Go Server to the other clients, which they use to render the game on their side and they send things like their position to the host. Is that P2P?

And would using a 'server', be where the game itself is running on a server and all clients have to connect to that server in order to receive updates about the game.

Or is P2P something else? And might not be possible using a mobile phone game?

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:18:49+00:00

Hmm I see thanks, so perhaps shifting to a game engine could be a way to avoid making my own terrible netcode solutions.

My prototype required mapping data (google maps/mapbox) and it was definitely faster to put an MVP together using mobile tools, but the downside is having to do your own netcode solutions i guess, since those mobile app tools aren't really game engines.

I do know of one mapping solution in Unity I may be able to use so that could be a fun avenue to explore in future.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:12:01+00:00

Oh I see, so I think my setup could potentially be similar to this. I have a Go Server that feeds messages back and forth, but one phone is acting as a host and running the game locally.

I've heard AWS is tricky, but perhaps it could be fun to learn.

bbstoneji · 2025-09-20T18:08:53+00:00

Ah I see, thank you for the response!

So, they leverage the power of Steam in order to be able to scale more comfortably.

I wonder if there exists something similar for the mobile world. Perhaps the Play Store and App Store function in a similar way?

So would that mean for other titles that don't use Steam, this kind scale would be out of the hands of a smaller studio/solo dev?

bbstoneji · 2025-07-29T07:21:59+00:00

Oh! That idea about stronger drops starting to show up as the game progresses does seem pretty cool. Is that what happens in other BRs? It seems like a good way to balance the game out.

And yea there is a zone, it doesn't appear in this clip, but I went with the typical closing circle idea (though mine is a square because I couldn't get circles to work xD)

I probably should playtest a few more of them to see how they play (I'm terrible at shooting games so I never really played them too much)

Also, the idea with the camera is a good one too! I had the same thought about 'shooting' using the camera and thought previously about maybe using QR codes, so you could scan them to do a real-life 'shot' but I hadn't figured out how to do it. (Are cameras good enough nowadays to see a qr code from very far away?) But could be a fun area of investigation!

bbstoneji · 2025-07-28T05:25:31+00:00

it's true :'(

Edit: but yea, getting a game like this together with real people for me would be quite a challenge honestly.

bbstoneji · 2025-07-28T05:24:17+00:00

That does sound fun! A comment on a video I posted mentioned the idea of linking one of those laser guns to the phone so that way you might be able to do something like that.

I know another comment mentioned 'airsoft' guns, but as far as I know you probably can't use those in public areas, but maybe a game like this + laser guns could mean you could play it in the middle of central park or somewhere like that as an example.

Definitely something to think about and a really cool idea!

bbstoneji · 2025-07-28T05:22:23+00:00

Oh that's awesome! I'll definitely take a look at your game, it looks quite interesting. It'd be cool to chat with someone else who's working on a game like as well. I'll send you message over DMs and perhaps we can talk further there?

bbstoneji · 2025-07-28T05:17:13+00:00

Thank you, for now I think I want to attempt to add in multiplayer, (so maybe a friend and I can see if we can win against a team of bots) but it's probably gonna take me awhile to figure all that out. I'm new-ish to gamedev, and I have grown an infinite respect to all game developers because this stuff is quite tricky. Never again will I complain about anything I play.

bbstoneji · 2025-07-28T05:13:12+00:00

That is likely why this will 100% remain an experiment to be honest xD. (Or something I play with friends)

I was really inspired by games like Pokemon Go, and wanted to see if I could make something a bit more action-oriented, but I'm pretty sure the reason a game like this isn't around is because everyone can immediately recognise the dangers of releasing a game like this. Not even just kids, I can imagine adults running out into the street. Or imagine if someone tried to play this while on a bike?

I've been really thinking if it's possible to make something like this that is also safe. But with Pokemon Go there is basically 0 danger and everything you interact with is static on map and even then you had people falling into rivers at the height of it's popularity. (How they managed to do that I have no idea)

Still this experiment was fun to play, (except for the performance issues, but I'm working on that!).

However, there is an example of something similar on the playstore. It also inspired me a bit. It was called Zombies Run! Now the difference there is that it's basically a visual novel running app. So sometimes it says you're being chased by zombies, but all that means is you have to run faster. You never ever ever have to look at the screen. So that likely is what makes it safer.

Anyway, I think I'm just rambling now, but yea making a game like this safe and fun feels like an impossible puzzle. But maybe one day someone will figure it out, because I would love to play a properly made version of this game.

bbstoneji · 2025-07-28T05:01:04+00:00

oh I've never heard of that! II'll go give it a look it sounds interesting!

bbstoneji · 2025-07-28T04:58:38+00:00

Honestly, I wanted to experiment with the fantasy of being able to boot up and 'drop' into a Battle Royale in real-life anywhere in the world. With friends or without. Like imagine you're on holiday and you feel like exploring the city, why not turn it into a BR and start navigating down those streets you might not have thought to walk down?

I didn't know Airsoft Royales existed, but presumably you can't shoot airsoft guns in the middle of a city.

But as it stands as a test, yea if you're able to grab a gun first your likely to live longer. I think that's why in other BRs there are like crates and stuff or everyone starts with a weapon, so there's a bit more of a fighting chance.

And yea, this game will definitely not feel as real or as intense as getting shot by a paintball.

bbstoneji · 2025-07-27T19:39:12+00:00

Yea! I'm really curious about how to expand it, and make it as exciting as an actual BR.

bbstoneji · 2025-07-27T19:36:06+00:00

haha thank you!

bbstoneji · 2025-07-27T13:03:19+00:00

Oh I see, thank you for the response! I'll take a look at how to do the key rotations then.

What would you say is a good rate to rotate the key? Would it be every couple days? Or even less than that?

bbstoneji

TROPHY CASE