HN Explorer

Show HN: Feedback on our new multiplayer game API? (playpi.net)

15 points by bitJericho ↗ HN
This is a two man team and we're in full-on development of a new platform to assist in multiplayer games. We're looking to launch in about a month or two with an OpenID server accessible to customers (or they can use provider like Facebook/Twitter) and a couple cool multiplayer features. After we launch development will continue until we have a well-rounded API.<p>We're primarily targeting HTML5+JS developers but the system will work with any language that can make RESTful API calls. We know there's some stiff competition out there but we're looking for feedback and what features may make you swing towards our pay-for model?

17 comments

[ 0.25 ms ] story [ 54.5 ms ] thread
philjackson
Where are the API docs? Are you asking us to feed back on your landing page?
bitJericho
Yep the API is still being designed. We're just looking for feedback on the idea.
fit2rule
For the case where you're looking for developers who just want a drop-in way to REST'ify the problem away, while seeing if you can capture the 'backend services' aspect of the problem, I dunno. My feedback is, this is a bit of a short sell. Multiplayer gaming services for developers with a customer-base on the order of 10's or even 100's of k's of users, must be worth the salt, surely, to tackle the backend properly .. i.e. who needs to buy this? Wouldn't developers just make it, easily enough, for themselves?

Second point is, to launch, it would be nice to have big examples for incoming visitors to be attracted to the service.

Apropos the idea of multiplayer gaming, I have found that node.js and a smart bit of client-pool reflection has meant that I don't have to lean heavily on a 3rd-party API framework for the 'backend multiplayer' bit, because after all .. that's the good bit. Today's multiplayer game engine is a few well-spent afternoons with node.js, imho .. it does at least make just-in-time deployment very smooth. Don't forget that this is, also, a place for things like Lua and Rust to excel. I'm not trying to be contrarian, but these are the realms in which you dwell; a multiplayer API+(deployment problem solved with magic), versus having someone built such a thing in a month or 3, themselves, and consequently owning the codebase, because .. after all, the backend is where a lot of the magic happens when you've got 10's of k's of gamers online, and can watch it happen for months on end ..

bitJericho
We're not looking to replace the multiplayer engine (at least not on launch day), we're more looking towards relieving the developer from having to manage a server for users/lobbies. The players or the developer would still need to run the actual game server where the gaming is taking place.
teraflop
I would suggest you come up with a more descriptive name than "simple multiplayer platform", then.
bitJericho
The language is sometimes tougher than the actual development! The descriptive language is all a work in progress and we'll be doing some more brainstorming on it.
arturventura
I tried to launch something similar (http://intigos.com).

The problem is that Google launched something that does pretty much all that, and is integrated in their Google play games.

bitJericho
Yep we figure google and steam will be the primary competitors. We're looking to attend to customers who are concerned about user privacy or who are looking for someone who's willing to provide custom features.
shaunxcode
I dig the concept but find it difficult to give you feedback on an API when there is no specification.
bitJericho
We hope to have it published in a month or two.
robzienert
You should have posted to HN once that was published. A feature list isn't an API.
[deleted]
(comment deleted)
overgard
Looks useful, although it's not something I think I'd signup to wait for. This strikes me as the kind of thing I'd stumble on when writing a game and thinking "jesus this has probably been solved before, let me just google this real quick.."

On the other hand, this is the sort of thing that's also pretty easy to implement on your own. So: your main competition is probably internal teams that think "why would we give control of this to someone else?". So I would design accordingly.

As an aside, I would totally try to integrate this with existing dev communities. I bet you'd have a lot of luck if you were to make a Unity plugin/script, for instance, or maybe a UE4 thing (not sure the multiplayer story with UE4, but I know with unity it kinda sucks).

All the same, I think this comes down to your goals. If this is like "a project to make some money on the side", I think it's a great idea, on the other hand, if it's a startup idea I just don't think there's really enough of a market there.

[dead] alex95
You're showing me an idea. You're asking me for feedback on an idea.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that HN primarily consists of startup news, but I don't understand why you're asking for feedback on a service that you're not actually offering right now.

If you want my feedback, show me something to review. Don't show me a landing page with promises.

jbverschoor
I sort of get tired of these email-collector-sites.

No info no nothing. Simply trying to test the market. No email from me

bitJericho
Development's well underway, this is not a test of the market. This is more of a "get ready we are about to go", sort of post. And feedback is always invaluable. We're collecting emails just to notify interested people when we do launch and to keep anybody interested updated on our progress once we do.
drivingmenuts
I think the objection is to the lack of information presented on the single page site, which leads it to look like yet another email collector. I don't disagree.

I think more information about what I would be signing up to look at would help clear up any misconceptions about what's going on there.