[Beta] Studio Party Simulator: Play Test Your Party-Based Logic

Updates Announcements
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Hi Creators,

Today, we’re launching the beta of Party Simulator, a plugin that lets you build, test, and debug party-based logic in Server and Clients playtests.

With the Party Simulator, you can validate any logic that depends on Player.PartyId, GetPartyAsync, or GetPlayersByPartyId without publishing or coordinating multiple devices and accounts. We’ve heard your feedback on wanting more tools to test Party integrations in Studio, so this plugin should significantly shorten iteration cycles and improve reliability for experiences that integrate the Party API.

With this new feature, we are excited to empower you to create richer, more connected experiences for parties of users to play together.

How to Get Started

  1. Enable the Party Simulator Beta Feature

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  1. Open Studio.

    • Right-click the toolbar you would like to toggle the Party Simulator from.

    • Click add tools

    • Search for Party Simulator and add it to your toolbar

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  2. Open the Party Simulator

    • Select Server & Clients testing mode

  3. Set your desired number of test users

  4. Toggle Enable Party Simulation

    • Add Parties and assign your test users to Parties

  5. Test your Party API integration!

Watch this demo to see Party Simulator in action:

What’s Next

We’re working on expanding supported use cases for Party API, enabling more impactful Party integrations, and driving retention among users playing with a party. Party Simulator will exit beta later this year, with more Party API updates expected next year! :partying_face:

Resources

Please share any feedback with us below. Thank you!

Party responsibly :tada:,

Roblox User Team

FAQs

Does this affect live experiences?

  • No. Party Simulation will only test parties in Studio.

Can I change party assignments during a playtest?

  • Not at this time, but we are considering this feature.
138 Likes
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This topic was automatically opened after 10 minutes.

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Hype!! This makes testing this feature 10x easier. Ya’ll have really been cooking on the party API stuff lately.

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This is awesome. Roblox should continue to focus on making features like this easily testable. I love the way this Party API is being developed.

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I thought it was a feature where you could start a party in roblox studio with music and dances.
:c

(nice beta feature btw)

17 Likes
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There’s generally no point in replying to feature threads made by engineers about a platform wide change made by executives.

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I’m always spooked using features that aren’t predictable so this is a huuuuge help for debugging!

Some time ago I was working at a studio (doesn’t exist anymore) where we spent a good chunk of time developing a party system between universes and whatnot

This is a great way to test things and build features around parties, so thank you! Can just imagine the applications beyond gameplay- QA testing suites and whatnot… thank you!

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I really like the the simulation feature for testing. Docs are easy to follow as well. Great addition to the platform.

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I was testing this and noticed that Player.PartyId returns the valid ID string on the server, but it’s just an empty string when checked from a client (LocalPlayer.PartyId).

Is this intended behavior (where the client isn’t supposed to see the ID) or a bug with the simulation?

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This is the intended behavior. Currently, the Player.PartyId property is only accessible from the Server.

We would love to hear any use cases you have in mind that would depend on Player.PartyId being accessible from the client. Feel free to send me a message here on the DevForum. :+1:

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can someone explain why this is useful? just confused what the main point of it is

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Can you control these other players inside a SINGLE testing experience ?
Must it still be done through opening 4 other windows in a test ?

Or is this strictly for teleporting from 1 place to another - as a party group ?

It would be nice to direct them during testing.. as the other way opening so many windows.. uses way too many resources on the PC.

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Honestly, one of the more useful features this year

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Nice addition.
We would still need more control over party creation and invitation handling (such as pending invites, accepting/rejecting) that are not yet present in the Party API.

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The most I can infer is that its best for its intended use: Anything relating to parties in your game.

Though, I don’t see how it’ll be different than the Teams option for organizing player parties. Who knows? Looking forward to more updates on it.

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This is awesome! Just recently worked w/ the party API and would have loved to have this. Roblox on a roll with good updates recently.

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I agree. Having a button to switch to other player’s perspective would rather be nice than having all controlled each on a single window which can take long enough time to be initiated with developers on a low-end device

Or even, make it as a setting so that developers can switch preferences to how they’d like to test the game in a simulated amount of players

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but if you already have a functional party system then this party api doesnt have a use?

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If you already have a functional party system in your game then you could be utilizing Roblox’s parties to pair players together in your game automatically. It’s not useless to have access to this information

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Features like this will make game sessions more dynamic to play.