Discord is a popular social platform that can be used to grow your community for your projects, it allows you to have direct communication with the community, it's also a great place to set up a server to conduct tests with multiple players.
You've decided that you want to use Discord on your test, but you're unsure how to set it up? We've got you covered. See below for best practices and advice on setting up for success!
Firstly, if you haven't already, Install Discord onto your PC and create an account if you do not have one.
Discord can be used on either your browser or downloaded as a standalone app. We recommend the App itself to keep discord segmented from your other work/tabs in a browser. However the functionality of both versions is the same.
We advise that you use an anonymous or company username as well as your company logo - this will allow Participants to identify you as the moderator of the test. As an example, we would identify ourselves in discord as "Go Testify" and use our branding as our profile picture.
Following this, select the "+" Icon to the left of your screen, this will allow you to create a discord server, when presented with your options, select "Create my own" followed by "For a club or community"
Next, we need to establish Roles - You want to ensure that your moderators have the powers to manage the server in its entirety, and you want to ensure that Participants have no permissions to make changes to the channel, only participate. To create roles, select the dropdown at the top left of the screen and select "Server settings" then move to roles.
Moderator - Select "Create Role" > Enter Role Name, Color etc. > Permissions > Advanced Permissions > Enable "Administrator" > Save Changes.
The moderator of a server will be anyone responsible for managing the events themselves, such as a project manager within the company.
Anyone assisting this manager will also be granted the role of Moderator to assist with Participant issues.
We would recommend 1 moderator per 10 participants
Participant - Select "Create Role" > Enter Role Name, Color etc. > Permissions > Remove all permissions, except "Speak" & "Send Messages"
The Participants must only be able to communicate to you, therefore remove all permissions besides this, to reduce risk, improve security and simplify logistics management.
Observer -Select "Create Role" > Enter Role Name, Color etc. > Permissions > Remove all permissions.
Observers should have no permissions, Observers will take the form of
people who may want to watch Participants as they submit feedback.
Voice Channels - If you need Participants to communicate during the test, select the "+" next to the "Voice Channels" heading on the left of the servers home screen - Select "Voice" and name the channel. Repeat these instructions as required if completing a team based activity.
Tip: We recommend that you create separate channels for private conversations should Participants need any technical support!
Finally, you will need to invite people to the server to take part - You can send a discord invite via right clicking on your Discord server icon and selecting “Invite People” More information on how to distribute these invites will come later in the article.
We recommend that invites are only sent out a few hours maximum prior to the Playtest beginning, this reduces the amount of administrative work required within the server and also allows Participants to enter the discord with ample time prior to the actual event.
We advise editing the invite link to have it expire after 6 hours - this will mean the server is inaccessible following the playtest, and Participants will be unable to rejoin the server once removed.
In conclusion, setting up a Discord server as a multiplayer testing environment can be a convenient and efficient way to test your games with multiple Participants. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create a server, customize its settings, and invite participants to test your game.
Additionally, you can use Discord’s voice and text chat features to communicate with your testers and gather feedback. Remember to keep your server organized and secure, and to always prioritize the safety and privacy of your Participants. With a well-managed Discord server, you can gain valuable insights and improve your game before releasing it to the public.
Please see our article on Setting up and Managing a Multiplayer Event using Discord for further information and use cases!
If you need any further assistance from us, feel free to reach out to us via our Support line, or contacting Support@gotestify.com