Various Stages of Game Testing Techniques you need to know
Majority of the games are regarded as the most complicated software expression. Hence, it is not possible to make use of any traditional software testing technique for testing them. To test the games, it is essential to have an in-depth understanding of title publishing, level architecture, and mass server loading as well as advanced user experience. It is known for entailing testing which is used in different software scenarios like multiplayer networking, AI testing, physics and realism, audio testing, as well as API integration.
The process of gaming testing
The gaming industry has earned a high reputation as one of the widely expanding software sectors. THe complexity and sophistication of the modern titles introduces a wide assortment of UI, features, functions owing to interaction, security related to payments and accounts, concerns along with online multiplayer options.
Stages of game testing
Here is a list of few of the stages of game testing:
Collection of various requirements
For the creation of an efficient game testing strategy, it is essential for the testers to gain a thorough understanding of various aspects of the game which include architecture, storyboard, character, features, rules, characters, pointing system, rules as well as stages. Without having a sound knowledge of the software testing procedure or the requirements, there are high chances that the game tester might miss any defect or any other error which might have a negative impact on the final product.
It’s time to have read on Three Major Stages of Game Testing
Preparing for the game test strategy
In this stage, you require making preparations for the test strategy document which is inclusive of various sections such as testers, timeline, in-scope, total count of testing cycle, out scope, test analysis based on risks, kinds of testing that should be conducted, reporting procedures, defect logging procedure, mitigations and risks, service level agreements. In addition to this, the tester and developer of the game should be well versed with the process of development and testing of the software. They should also gain an understanding of different strategies of the phase of game development as well as the crucial specifics which are included at every stage.
The test case design
The tester should be capable of making negative and positive test cases. Few of the crucial techniques for designing efficient test cases are inclusive of the traditional back box testing, exception path testing, and critical path test., The traditional black box testing processes are inclusive of equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis as well as error guessing. In addition to this, the exceptional path testing plays a vital role in the documentation of exception paths as well as alternate paths. The critical path test, on the other hand, is considered to be a process which is beneficial in identifying the vital paths of the game. It also plays a vital role in revealing the specific dependencies which may lead to failure.
Recording of the test results
The development team should be capable of recording the test results as the series of the screenshots or movies so that they are capable of reviewing the behavior effectively and make the best use of the record. It can be useful as an effective form of having a better communication with the developers and testers of the game. As the developers have an in-depth record of the testing, it is beneficial in gaining an understanding of the different defects for avoiding any sort of miscommunication.
Various types of game testing
Alpha/Beta Testing
Though it is not considered to be exclusive to the industry of gaming, the beta and alpha testing are known to be associated with the market sector, owing to the common exposure. Alpha testing is recognized to be the kind of acceptance testing, which is conducted by in-house Quality assurance teams. On the other hand, testers conduct the beta testing in the specific phase in which the game is released to specific external user groups.
Smoke testing
Also referred to as confidence, build verification or sanity testing, smoke testing contributes to being the preliminary testing which is essentially performed for revealing different simple features, touching the prime functions as well as updates on the game. Failures which are showcased via smoke testing are severe enough for rejecting the release and determining that additional modifications are required in the game.
Feature testing
This kind of testing is considered to be the striking combination of manual and automated testing. Here, every latest feature is tested with the aid of functional testing. Here, the functional testing is accomplished for loading the durability, determination of the procedures, and user logic. In addition to this, it plays a crucial role in assessing the UI flow, the concerns over the redundancies, browser breakdown as well as cross platform.
Localization testing
Such kind of testing is conducted for making the technical corrections as well as reviewing of the translation work of the game scripts. The localization testers are known to be native to the specific area in which a specific game is marketed for ensuring the quality and accuracy of the localization of the game.
Automated Testing
Such type of testing has its own set of benefits owing to which it is considered to be an integral part of game testing. Such kind of testing is known to be conducted with the aid of software, scripts, tools, which are effective in bringing an improvement in the accuracy of the tests which are accomplished by human beings. It is also useful to the developer in finding the bugs and errors at a faster rate. In addition to this, it is effective in enhancing the test coverage as a bunch of tools are found to be deployed here simultaneously. You, however, need to remember that it should be inclusive of automated testing in which you can find some budget and time benefits.
It is a prerequisite to test the games, during, before and after their launch. As they are released, the end users expect a perfect and flawless experience. It is the job of the game tester to ensure that the expectations of the gamer has been accomplished. If you’re making any drastic changes or improvements at your product or games, doesn’t it make sense to go with a company like iXie Gaming - Leading Game Testing Company.
Thanks and Regards,
Deepika
