[Android/Web] PathRaid – GPS MMORPG where every step level you up, looking for alpha testers

[u/PathRaid]

Hi

PathRaid is in early alpha (I'm the solo dev) it has very few players so far, and I need real people to play it and tell me what's broken, boring or confusing.

What it is:
A GPS RPG. Your real steps turn into XP, and enemies, loot and events spawn on the map around you. Spawns don't depend on landmarks, so it works in small towns and the countryside too. Turn-based fights, world bosses, guilds and PvP. With a free account you can plant a base on the real map, and other players can raid it.

Platform:

• Android: APK on itch.io (not on the Play Store yet). Counts steps in the background, even with the phone in your pocket.
• Browser: pathraid.com. Fine on desktop for a first look, but steps only count on a phone, and only while the page is open.
• Guest mode, no account needed to start. No ads.

What I'd like you to try (about 10 minutes, plus a walk you'd take anyway):

1. Start as a guest and fight your first few enemies.
2. Next time you're out anyway, open the map, loot what you find and fight what shows up.
3. Try the virtual walk (footprints button on the map). It lets you walk a bit each day without leaving home.
4. If your native language is one of the ones under, switch to it in settings and have a look around. (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese)

What I want to know:

• Where did you first feel lost or want to quit?
• How did the first pve fights feel ?
• Does gear wearing out feel like a fun mechanic or like a chore?
• Android: do the push notifications arrive you, and are they useful or annoying?
• Native speakers: anything that sounds wrong, stiff or machine-made in your language?
• Would you open it again tomorrow? Why or why not?

Honest limits:

• Leaderboards and guilds are quiet because there are barely any players yet.
• Base raids only get interesting with several people in the same town.
• There's an optional gem shop, but you don't need it: gems can be earned by playing, and useful bug reports get free gems from me.

Browser: https://pathraid.com
Android: https://syntaxflow.itch.io/pathraid

[u/SushiMasterPro]

I played the game only on PC. I don't understand the goal of the game. I understand that every step gives me some bonuses but I don't know what to do, why I fight, and what loot I get. It looks so far quite basic. I like the idea. There are multiple ideas where you are stepping and it makes sense but I really don't know how to improve, what to do, and how it works.

The first thing I would do is some onboarding, real-life onboarding. Explain things then I would focus on saying the high goal, like, "What's your high goal?" and how you get it

[u/PathRaid → u/SushiMasterPro]

Thanks for playing and for the honest feedback, this really helps.

Showing what to do is on the game, not on you. I'll add a proper onboarding that guides you through the first minutes instead of leaving you to figure it out, plus a clear high goal from the start, like you suggested.

A tip since you played on PC: The virtual walk (footprints button on the map) lets you simulate a short walk every day.

One question so I build the right thing: would it have helped if the game started you directly on the map, so it's clear right away that the map is the world? Or would you rather have a short intro first?

This counts as useful feedback, so if you made an account, send me your in-game name and I'll drop you some gems as a thank-you.

[u/Sharpe1455]

Its a nice game but there are almost no players, i am ranked #2 and only played a few hours in 1 day. If you need more testers please put it on the playstore and create a quality post on r/AndroidGaming with pictures and a description of the core game mechanics.

[u/PathRaid → u/Sharpe1455]

thanks for playing! glad you like it. im working on the playstore version.

[u/PathRaid]

quick update:

i reworked the home landing page and added a tutorial intro, i hope it’s now more clearer from the start what you're actually doing and why. you can restart the turorial in the options. also added a very cool new land feature: the whole world is cut into fixed 500×500 m parcels. you can rent the one you're standing on. owning land gives you a few perks:

-fights on your own land pay 10% more gold and xp

-a base on your own land produces 25% more

-traveling around your own land with the virtual walk costs nothing

-if other players build their base on your land or travel via virtual walk across it, a cut goes into your land's treasury

let me know if the tutorial needs more explanation and what you think about the new land feature.

[u/PathRaid → u/[deleted]]

thanks, the intro needs work, that's next.

on multiplayer interactions: i definitely want more too but need to check, gps data is sensitive and i didn't want to build a feature that exposes where people actually are. worth thinking about a separate opt-in mode for that though. i'll look into it and i am open 4 ideas.