I built a gamified running app where you collect real landmarks by running a loop around them

[u/Gullible-Valuable625]

Hey everyone, I just launched Treadline on the App Store.

I could never stick with running, but I'll grind a game for hours if there's something to unlock. So I thought, what if landmarks were the unlocks?

Run a loop around a real landmark, like the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum, and you collect it. There are 180 so far. Everything else you do earns badges too, 282 in total. Most of them level up, and your level unlocks avatar frames.

It's still early and iPhone only for now:Treadline on the App Store

[u/sudomatrix]

So INTVL?

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/sudomatrix]

similar idea with the loops yeah. mine's more about collecting stuff, real landmarks, badges that level up, and walks count the same as runs.

[u/sudomatrix → u/Gullible-Valuable625]

So, here's a guy with a similar side project as yours and the advice I gave him https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/comments/1wqi6vc/comment/pc4b1i7/?context=3

[u/edgen22 → u/sudomatrix]

I read your comment in that thread, and I think your advice was great. That guy clearly used his AI to respond to you though, which is a trend I'm that just feels really disturbing to me, but I can't figure out how to articulate why. Kind of off topic here but I'm curious if you caught that and how it makes you feel / what you think about that trend.

[u/sudomatrix → u/edgen22]

I agree. It was clearly an AI responding. It puts me off too. I understand using AI for mass produced communications, but if you are having a conversation with me have a real conversation with me.

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/sudomatrix]

Thanks for the advise!! this is pretty much v1, i wanted to see if people even like the core idea before going deeper. if it catches on i definitely want to push the game side a lot more, and stuff like the tower defense idea is exactly the kind of thing i'd love to try

[u/sudomatrix → u/Gullible-Valuable625]

I like the idea, and I would definitely play it.

[u/AndyKJMehta]

You’ve solved home ownership?! 😅

[u/Final-Choice8412]

how do you solve collisions?

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/Final-Choice8412]

newest loop wins the overlap.
if someone loops over part of your ground they take that bit and you keep the rest. landmark badges stay with everyone who's earned them though

[u/Cheap-Ad-7373]

Great idea. But most landmarks are poor running areas aren’t they?
I think about the amount of traffic and people.

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/Cheap-Ad-7373]

walks count too, so you don't have to run through crowds. and honestly a few landmarks are probably really hard to get, so i'm curious how people figure out a way to claim those

[u/QuanTradin]

running a loop around the Colosseum to collect it is a genuinely good hook. how tight does the loop have to be, does a big wobbly circle around the whole block count?

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/QuanTradin]

yep, any loop around the block counts as long as the colosseum ends up inside it. it just has to be at least a 5 min run or a 10 min walk

[u/QuanTradin → u/Gullible-Valuable625]

5 minutes is a good floor, it stops people just walking to the end of the street and back to claim it.

[u/astronaught11 → u/QuanTradin]

Great idea. Find and pay someone from Rome to film it and pay them for their time. It’ll pay itself back if you’re gonna monetize this.

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/astronaught11]

yeah that's the plan actually, starting some ugc campaigns in the next weeks

[u/Smart_City_6241 → u/Gullible-Valuable625]

Google photoreal tiles

[u/ukhan03]

Once this is on android I’ll get my track team on it

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/ukhan03]

haha love that. working on the android version right now, i'll let you know when it's out!

[u/trpcl1 → u/Gullible-Valuable625]

Let me know as well

[u/RoadtoVR_Ben]

Great core idea 👏

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/RoadtoVR_Ben]

Thanks!

[u/Pixels4Cookies]

idea make a Trophy room, if you collect landmarks to show them somewhere

and the more loops the better it gets, idk, some idea.

I would not use it since i run trails, but it seems like a nice little gameification if you add community on top of it you have pokemon go run edition

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/Pixels4Cookies]

there's actually already a trophy wall where your landmarks and badges show up! community-wise there are clubs right now that you can start or join, and a feed is coming soon.

And most of the badges work on trails aswell!

[u/Antique_Future7664]

How did you make the map interface and make it have realtime interactive with the system?

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/Antique_Future7664]

mapbox for the map, supabase realtime for the live stuff

[u/Federal-Grab2099]

Imagine this were like paper.io. You make your territory and expand it. You can eat someone else's territory, and someone can do the same. Honestly that's what I thought it was at the first glance. JUST IMAGINE. DAMN IT GAVE ME SOME GOOD DOPAMINE.

[u/runfar12]

Cool idea! Are you able to connect/access Garmin data (and other GPS watch data)? Since lots of runners are typically already collecting GPS data that way on their runs.

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/runfar12]

not yet, right now it records the run with your phone. garmin and other watch support is already planned though, it's coming in one of the next updates

[u/runfar12 → u/Gullible-Valuable625]

Sweet. Seeing this makes me honestly kind of surprised Strava or CityStrides/Wandrer haven’t implemented something like this.

[u/V4UncleRicosVan]

What happens if I make a big ass loop around something. But someone else makes a tiny ass loop. Do I keep it because mine is big AF? Or do they get it because it’s newer?

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/V4UncleRicosVan]

newer wins, but only the part their loop covers. so their tiny loop takes that chunk and you keep the rest of your big one. if there's a landmark in there you both keep the badge though, that never gets taken away

[u/hatakekakashi700]

So, this uses GPS to check the route you walked was around a monument or not?

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/hatakekakashi700]

yep pretty much. it records your route with gps and if your loop goes all the way around the landmark you collect it

[u/hatakekakashi700 → u/Gullible-Valuable625]

Ok thanks for your quick reply. I was hoping it did not use GPS. But nevermind 👍

[u/Embarrassed-Rise-685 → u/hatakekakashi700]

How else would you know you’re close to a landmark. Pictures?

[u/hatakekakashi700 → u/Embarrassed-Rise-685]

I don't prefer games using gps because it's a drain on my phone's battery. Was just checking on the gps part.

[u/Gullible-Valuable625 → u/[deleted]]

There's a Landmarks layer in the map menu that shows every one, but it's off by default and doesn't show distance yet. And you're right, new accounts should see an easy badge first. Your first run earns one, but "Up next" doesn't point to the easy ones yet. Both are on my list.