Admin → 16. December 2008 14:30
Hey there. There was no updates last week on our blog only because our entire team was involved in beta version development. Beta version of our game is all about testing and quality control. But now it’s time to say something. And here it is...
My name is Leonid Cherny, and I am responsible (besides many other duties) for QA and testing of our game in "neoqb" team.
Today’s topic, proudly announced by me: Testing and quality assurance process for “Rise of flight”.
All QA activities can be sorted into 3 groups. The groups are:
1) Build testing
2) Completed features verification
And last, but not least…
3) Multiplayer and gameplay stability testing aka Bug Hunt
So, let’s start with the beginning.
Every day, we have a new build and every day we have a several ingame features completed by production team. Several bugs are fixed and some new data implemented. Our main task in QA team at this moment is to compare the data and binary resources with previous build, find the difference, and then, prepare a new, stable, correct and, which is most important, working version of the game. If all this done fine, we have a new version of the game and it comes to testing.
As you can read above, every day we have a new build with new information available inside. We need to verify, if everything works fine and every new feature marked in database as completed is really completed and can be visualized in the game, every bug, marked as fixed is really fixed, and if any new component of the game works as expected.
Note 1 – every time we plan something new we will fill up the form in our task tracking database, we explain our expectations and requirements regarding the visual part of this feature. This material is being used as a reference at the moment of verification.
If the feature improvement can’t be viewed by QA, the logs are required for this part of the game. Thus logs can be helpful in order to understand if everything works correctly.
On some stage we are not looking for the bugs, we just compare the results of production team with the requirements and expectations.
When this stage is completed, we come to the most ridiculous part of QA process – which is a bug hunt.
First of all, I would really like to say thanks to our partners at “Revo Solutions”, who provide QA outsource for us. This heroic team is doing a great job.
Btw, at the current stage of development the bug hunt is focused on (again) 3 things.
The first important thing is Random map generator. If Loft have some spare time later, he will describe the details. Anyway, testing of RMG is very laborious process and it takes heaps of time and iterations.
The second important thing is MP game testing. This includes stability tests, out of sync hunt and network load tests. The main problem in MP testing is finding a way to reproduce. Overall in this process there are only 2 main subjects, one of them is finding a WTR and the second is absolutely boring. Image you doing the same things for several days in a row and in the same environment.
Or try to imagine, you got stock on the same level, even though if you like it, for about 3-4 weeks, 9 hours per day, 5-6 days in a week. Sounds boring, doesn’t it? Anyhow, if we go back to the previous subject, we will find another important and interesting thing in game testing; this thing can be considered as a top priority. While playing, hundreds of elements in any game will interact with each other. This interaction is subject for testing. Let me explain my point.
In RoF, shooting with aircraft guns will cause certain damage to buildings, enemy aircrafts, vehicles you name it, thus just to make sure that everything works as it should, we are suppose to test every model I’ve mentioned above (including non-destructible units). This also applies to any particular part of the game.
When I was young and stupid, I had a dream. This dream was about testing games. It looked like a “dream job” to me. I’m playing the games and I’m being paid for it. What else could I dream of? But as I said, I was young and stupid :)
I can ask only for one thing now, after being QA for 9 years – please respect testers work.