I was hoping to submit a game soon but I just have one question that keeps getting in my way. How do I go about starting and completing a proper beta test? I’ve been scouring the forum for a clear answer but I haven’t really found anything. I appreciate any words of wisdom. Thanks all.
You have two options (also mentioned in that thread)
One is to get your game running through a link through for example Dashingdon. Once you got that you start a new thread, explain what kind of feedback you’re looking for, and add the link to your game so people can play it and give feedback. This is known as an “open” Beta.
The other is much the same, only instead of a public thread you open a PM (private message) thread, post the explanation and link there, and invite people from the forum to test it for you. This is known as a “closed” Beta.
Gather feedback, improve your game, and that’s basically all there is to it.
@Myrtle – The beta has to be a public beta, meaning it has to be connected to the community somehow but @Cecilia_Rosewood is correct, it can be open or closed… or (my preferred) you can do both, or even multiples of open and closed betas.
Everyone has a different way of getting to the development of a game… the goal here is to get some community feedback, so that you, as a developer get an actual idea of what the audience you will be selling your game to wants.
Here’s a relevant thread from a few months ago in regards to private vs. open testing:
And here’s a quote from Jason about it:
Edit: because we posted at the same time @Billy_Towers24: I’d think it’s generally better to receive the feedback in one place on the forums so the staff can see the results of your beta test, confirm that you did host one, and be able to understand from the feedback how to market your game, how well it was received, and etc.
