Beta Testing

thewalrus · Wed 13/09/2006 19:37:21

I am curious as to how one goes about beta testing. I have never beta tested a game and I really, REALLY would like to. Do you just play through the game and look for bugs and spelling mistakes or do you have free reign to go on any screen and look for problems??? I guess I kinda want a guide telling "how to beta test"....lol

Thewalrus

Goo, goo, ga, joob!!!!!!!!

Meowster · Wed 13/09/2006 22:00:12

beta testing online games? or..? Actually working as a tester?

Alynn · Wed 13/09/2006 22:30:17

If you mean commercially....

Beta testing isn't fun and games... I say again, it is NOT fun and games.

It's frustrating, you play the same level over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and just when you think you can't take enough of it, you play that same level AGAIN.

You must keep accurate notes, you have to be aware of what you do at all times. You must be as accurate as humanly possible, otherwise how the hell will the programmers even know where to begin to look for the problem.

The game isn't stable, not even remotely stable, it may crash on you ever few minutes (remember your notes?), and maybe even longer to boot back up.

And that's just the beginning.

If you mean for someone's amateur project...

Wait for someone to ask, volunteer, keep notes, tell them exactly what you were doing when a crash happened... but you aren't set into what you will be working on...

Meowster · Wed 13/09/2006 23:38:59

Actually, I am a game tester and it's fucking good fun, a great industry to work in, but a lot of hard work.

Alynn · Thu 14/09/2006 00:23:10

Yet I don't see you refuting anything I said. Most people believe that game testing involves just playing games all day, but it's not as glamourous as all that. You can have fun doing it, but it's not the same thing as playing a completed game, not by a long shot.

My point was, it is work, it's a job, and those that don't think it is are mistaken.

ManicMatt · Thu 14/09/2006 00:48:22

In 3D games the tester has to repeatedly bump into walls all the time. I can just imagine the PSone Lara Croft game testing: "Uh! Uh! Uh! Uh!"

thewalrus is beta testing my game, he had such enthusiam I let him help me. Of course, if he can't find anything wrong, then doesn't doesn't reflect his own methods, if there isn't anything wrong to find, unless other testers find a whole bunch of errors. No pressure though!

thewalrus · Thu 14/09/2006 03:54:12

Lol, don't worry Matt, I already have a few issues for ya..... I will continue my work on your game tommorow....

Thewalrus

Goo, goo, ga, joob!!!!!!!!!

Meowster · Thu 14/09/2006 15:50:13

Quote from: ManicMatt on Thu 14/09/2006 00:48:22
In 3D games the tester has to repeatedly bump into walls all the time. I can just imagine the PSone Lara Croft game testing: "Uh! Uh! Uh! Uh!"

Hehehehe see, when people say things like this it gives completely the wrong impression of testing games. People think that you just run around bumping into walls the whole time without any fun at all!

There's that extreme, and there's also the other extreme which is people thinking that it's 'all fun and games'.

Most of the advice I've ever heard given about games testing is from people who have never actually done it. For real. in the games industry.

anyway I take it that thewalrus meant AGS games so... nevermind!

ManicMatt · Thu 14/09/2006 16:20:33

Oh right! Just what I heard, about the wall bumping humping thing!

Would you also do things that I do for fun anyway, like say play Deus Ex 1 or 2 and throw every single type of object at people to see how they react? I love pissing off artificial people!

Of course you also get to play the games before anyone else, and get paid for it! (and have debug modes!?)

MrColossal · Thu 14/09/2006 16:57:31

Beta Testing at my work doesn't seem like it's all fun and games at all. At least on the GBA. Maybe Wii testing is more fun.

When we have a meeting and go over what we're going to do for the week the tester says "Basically testing collisions..."

In one game I worked on that meant just running into every wall in the game repeatedly from different directions and noting not only the clipping of the player character but also of the camera. On the current game he has to run into every wall and ceiling and floor in every level.

If the collision breaks he then has to bug it and send it to the correct person, when it's fixed they send the bug back and then he has to check it again to see if it's fixed, then he flags it as fixed. He has to do this for collision, sound, game play, art, menus, save/load, progression, and AI. Then he has to recheck them when the bugs are fixed. NO THANKS!