Game Testing All in One (Game Development Series)

Being a game tester starts with being a game player. This is the part that seems to attract most people to the profession. Just imagine ‚ getting paid to play games ! For the most part you don't get to test (play) whatever you feel like on any given day. You are given assignments that you're expected to complete thoroughly and on time ‚ even if it means you have to stay late to get them done. The tests and the hours will pile up anytime you get near to a major release.

But just playing the game isn't enough to be a good tester. Sure, you need to have a knack for finding problems, but you also need to do a good job at other things such as documenting and reporting bugs, reporting test progress, and helping developers find and fix your bugs . These tasks are done over and over again until the game ships. Think of the acronym "PIANo TV" ‚ P lay, I dentify, A mplify, N otify, and o ptionally, T estify and V erify. Figure 2.1 illustrates this sequence of activities.

Figure 2.1: Game testing activities.

Playing Games

At home, you play games to have fun. You get to choose what to play, when to play, and how to play it. Testing games can still be fun, but you have fewer choices about what, when, and how to play. Everything you do when you play is for a purpose ‚ either to explore some area of the game, check that a specific rule is being enforced, or look for a particular kind of problem.

Your job begins by running a series of tests that are assigned to you. Some of the tests are very specific and consist of step-by-step instructions. These rely on your keen observations and attention to details. This is a good format for user interface (UI) testing. Here's a short example for testing a portion of the character selection UI in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for Xbox:

1. Select New Game from the Main Menu.

   • Check that the Male Scoundrel picture and title are highlighted (see Figure 2.2).

   • Check that the scoundrel character description is displayed correctly.

2. Scroll to the left using the D-Pad.

   • Check that the Female Scoundrel picture and title are highlighted.

   • Check that the scoundrel character description is unchanged.

3. Scroll to the right using the D-Pad.

   • Check that the Male Scoundrel picture and title are highlighted.

   • Check that the scoundrel character description is unchanged.

4. Scroll to the right using the LEFT analog stick.

   • Check that the Male Scout picture and title are highlighted.

   • Check that the scout character description is displayed correctly.

5. Scroll to the left using the LEFT analog stick.

   • Check that the Male Scoundrel picture and title are highlighted.

   • Check that the scoundrel character description is displayed correctly.

6. Scroll to the right using the RIGHT analog stick.

   • Check that the Male Scoundrel picture and title are unchanged.

   • Check that the scoundrel character description is unchanged.

7. Press the X button.

   • Check that the Male Scoundrel picture and title are unchanged.

   • Check that the scoundrel character description is unchanged.

8. Press the Y button.

   • Check that the Male Scoundrel picture and title are unchanged.

   • Check that the scoundrel character description is unchanged.

9. Press the B button.

   • Check that the Main Menu screen is displayed with "New Game" highlighted.

Figure 2.2: Knights of the Old Republic character selection screen initial state showing Male Scoundrel.

So you see, you are given specific operations to perform and details to check for at each step. This can become tedious over the course of a long test case, especially when doing many of these tests one after the other. To keep subtle problems from slipping past you, maintain concentration and treat each item as if it's the first time you've seen it.

Other test assignments involve more open -ended directives, and may be in checklist or outline form. These tests rely more on your own individual game knowledge, experience, and skills.

A situation in which you might run into a checklist is testing special moves in a fighting game. For example, the following checklist is to test Tina Armstrong's special attacks in Dead or Alive 3 . To successfully and efficiently complete this testing, you must be able to perform the game controller button presses with the right timing and in the right fight situation.

Whereas the checklist tends to be focused on verifying a narrow set of game behaviors, an outline can be used to test a broader range of results without worrying much about the detailed steps to take to reach that goal. For example, in NBA Street Vol. 2 , you have the ability to unlock special player jerseys by achieving certain results during a game or a series of games. Imagine having to define or follow a button-by-button series of steps to complete an entire game! So you, the tester, need to know the game well enough to pick the right players for your team and then play the game well enough to reach the goals that unlock each of the jerseys. An outline like the one that follows is sufficient for this purpose.

Unlock Special Jerseys

• Bill Russell

  • Beat all teams in the Northwest Region without losing

• Bill Walton

  • Score over 1,000,000 trick points in a game

• Connie Hawkins

  • Get 20 blocks in a game and win the game

• Elgin Baylor

  • Shut out the opposing team

• James Worthy

  • Beat all teams in the Northeast Region without losing

• Jerry West

  • Win a game without getting any of your shots blocked

• Oscar Robertson

  • Beat all teams in the Southwest Region without losing

• Walt Frazier

  • Beat all teams in the Central Region without losing

In addition to running these tests, you may also find yourself writing tests for you or other testers to run. Later in this book you learn some formal methods for designing tests, but that option may not always be available to you. In an informal testing situation, choose step-by-step, checklist, or outline form to describe the testing you want done, or to record any undocumented testing you may have completed.