For Testers

You've been invited to help test GameWarden before it goes public. This page tells you what's currently being tested, what isn't done yet, and the most useful way to send feedback.

What we're testing right now

These are the areas where bug reports help the most:

• ARK: Survival Ascended lifecycle — install, start, stop, restart, scheduled restarts, crash recovery
• Palworld lifecycle — install, start, stop, live player count, version detection
• ARK INI editor — tabbed editing, descriptions, the Breeding calculator
• Server settings dialogs — per-server overrides, port allocation
• First-run setup wizard — SteamCMD install, picking an app data folder
• Windows installer — install, update, uninstall on Windows 10 and 11

What's NOT done yet

Please don't file bugs for any of these — they're known and tracked.

• No other games besides ARK and Palworld. More games are planned after public testing wraps up.
• No web or mobile management. Desktop-only for now. A web/cloud version is in the longer-term plan.
• Installer isn't code-signed. Windows SmartScreen will warn you. Click More info → Run anyway.
• Rough UI edges. Some buttons and styles are inconsistent — UI polish is its own future pass.
• Limited customization for Palworld settings. Coverage will expand based on tester requests.

How to give feedback that helps

Report bugs and ask questions in the Discord. That's the only place feedback gets seen right now.

Join the Discord

Pick the right channel:

• #bug-discussion — "is anyone else seeing this?" quick triage
• #ark-help — ARK: Survival Ascended bugs and questions
• #palworld-help — Palworld bugs and questions
• #feedback — design, UX, and "this feels weird" thoughts

What makes a bug report easy to act on:

• What you were trying to do
• What happened instead
• The GameWarden version (bottom-left corner of the window)
• The game you were running (ARK or Palworld) and any mods loaded
• Logs if you have them — logs/backend.log inside your GameWarden data folder

Structured GitHub bug-report forms will come later. For now Discord keeps things simple.

What to expect from us

• GameWarden is built by one developer. Issue responses may take a day or two.
• Releases happen when they're ready, not on a fixed schedule. Watch the release notes for what changed.
• Bugs get fixed before new features get added. If your bug is taking a while, it usually means it's tricky — not ignored.
• Honest takes are welcome. If something feels confusing, slow, or weird, say so. That's exactly the feedback testing exists for.

What's planned next

Rough roadmap, in order of likely arrival:

• Polish based on tester feedback — bugs first, UI cleanups second
• More Palworld game settings and import paths
• Additional games (top requests from the Discord likely come first)
• Account/billing flows for the eventual paid tier — testing stays free
• Web/cloud version that reuses the same backend

Plans change. This list is direction, not a commitment.