Beta Testing Checks and Triggers

[Ghostlady]

As I am getting close to finishing up my game and would like to have some beta testing done, is there any advice on how to have some trigger that will disable the game so that it cannot be copied/distributed?
Is there an internal date and time that I can check and cause the game to quit working once that expires.  Or a count of how many times the executable has been opened? Something along these lines...

[Alan v.Drake]

Check the DateTime api: https://adventuregamestudio.github.io/ags-manual/DateTime.html
You can compare if the current date/time is past a due date and quit to desktop.


- Alan

[Danvzare]

Check the DateTime api: https://adventuregamestudio.github.io/ags-manual/DateTime.html
You can compare if the current date/time is past a due date and quit to desktop.


- Alan

Of course if you do that, people will easily be able to circumvent your copy-protection by just changing their internal clock.

My best recommendation is to just make sure you give it to beta testers you trust. Maybe throw in a unique serial-number graphic of some kind on the main menu, so you can uniquely identify each beta tester's copy, so if there is a leak, you'll know who did it. (Nothing is a better deterrent than removing someone's anonymity.)
Maybe also throw in a keyword that has to be input whenever the game is booted, so if it is distributed, that has to be sent along with it (you'd be amazed at how often people neglect to include a simple text file to get around something like that).

Or you could just shrug it off, and see it as free advertising. After all, if they like your unfinished version, they might buy the completed version. And if they don't, then they probably never would have bought it in the first place.

[Snarky]

TBH, I think you should just mark the game prominently with "BETA VERSION FOR TESTING" or something on the title screen, and leave it at that.

If people want to pirate your game, they will. And they'll be more likely to pirate the final version than a beta version, so putting effort into protecting that is probably wasted.

I suppose the deadline is a response to "beta testers" who just want the game for free and don't give you any feedback or play it in a timely fashion. I mean, OK, but it's going to be easy to circumvent (change the computer time). In fact, any roll-your-own copy protection will only be a minor inconvenience to anyone who wants to play the game without purchasing it.

[Ghostlady]

I'll take this all into consideration. Thank you!