JE8 - Task 2

Bug Report

This is the bug report for the Fallout 4 duplication glitch, Which allows players to duplicate any number of crafting items. The bug will be reported to Bethesda Softworks by me, After receiving the bug report they can work on a patch and possibly prevent further possibility of bugs like this one happening again.

The report itself details how to procure the glitch reliably and provides in depth details as to exactly what to press to make it happen, The report is signed by me so as to prove I discovered it and the outcome that should happen and the outcome that actually happened is listed.

JE8 - Task 1

Bug 

This bug in Fallout 4 allows players to duplicate items used to craft mechanisms and buildings in settlements, Essentially giving players unlimited resources.

The above video showcases someone using the bug to duplicate items.  As can been seen the player quickly presses a series of buttons at the same time and simultaneously scraps the item and stores the item sending two copies of one item to the workbench.

Type of Bug

This is a B class bug, The bug doesn't stop the player from progressing through the game but allows the player to have an advantage not otherwise accessible through normal play. This bug allows players to play the game in a way not intended by the developers and exploiting bugs like this is often considered cheating. The bug would need fixing but not as urgently as a game breaking bug would.

Resolving the bug

Fallout 4 is a game about survival and using anything and everything you can find to survive is one of the key elements of the game, This bug takes the thrill of feeling like a survivor away from the player due to the fact they can rely on their unlimited resources to keep them alive indefinitely and thus can be considered a bug that takes away from the experience the game intends to give.

To fix this bug the developers of the game would have to release a patch players can download to their systems that prevents the two actions that cause the glitch from overlapping effects in unison. Doing so would fix the bug and prevent players from being able to duplicate items.

JE7 - Task 3

 Classification of bugs (A,B,C and Legal bugs)

Class A Bug

An A Class Bug is a bug that is serious enough to force the player to turn off the system or reload a previous save. Often refereed to as game breaking bugs due to the fact the payer has to reset the game.

An example of an A class bug is in Portal 2, If the player picks up the small robot character Wheatley in Test Chamber 7 of Chapter 2 and completes the test while still holding Wheatley. The player can then no longer return to the lower levels of the test chamber else they will be stuck there and unable to continue due to the fact that the object that allows the player to continue through the game becomes glitched and cannot be placed, Rendering the puzzle impossible. The only way to fix this issue is to reload a previous save or reset the game this fact classifies this bug as an A Class Bug.

Here is a video showcasing the bug and the inability to continue through the game.

Class B Bug

A B Class Bug is a bug that hinders gameplay for the player but does not break the game if the bug can be fixed during gameplay, Be it over time or through other actions, The bug is not serious enough to be classed as an A Class bug.  

An example of a Class B bug is the Fallout 4 settler Glitch, When the player character runs by a settler and doesn't correctly initiate dialogue the player character gets stuck as if they are talking to said NPC, However they are not which renders them unable to interact with anything in the world. Including the NPC that causes the glitch, However passing through to a another area through a load screen seems to fix this problem enabling players to carry on playing the game normally if they trigger a load screen.

Here is a video showcasing the bug and the players inability to interact with anything in the environment despite being free from of the binds of any instanced events in game such as dialogue or combat. 




Contrary to the title of the video this is not a game breaking bug as it can be fixed by certain actions in game.

Class C Bug

A C Class bug is a bug in which the experience of the player is barely hindered. A lot of C Class Bugs are graphical bugs, Such as objects clipping through each other or particle effects glitching. 

An example of a Class bug C Bug is the "Fallout 4 Explosion glitch" the particle effects for the cloud of smoke after and explosion don't render properly and thus produces a much cruder version of the smoke rising, This does not effect the ability to play the game but the quality of gameplay and in turn is Classed as a C class bug.

Here is a video showcasing the bug, Notice how the bug doesn't hinder the players ability to play the game as it is just a graphical issue.

Legal Bugs

Legal bugs are bugs that breach copyright or other laws pertaining to companies and their logos. A game containing logos or objects that resemble those of real world companies and business's without permission contains a legal bug and if the legal bug stays within the game and is launched the companies that own the logos and/or images may sue the developers.

Performance Bugs

Performance bugs are bugs that affect the overall way a game runs, A performance bug make assets not behave the way they're intended or make the frame rate of a game drop. The game Bloodborne released with a performance bug that caused the games enemies to perform fewer and fewer actions over extended periods of play time, This issue is an example of a performance bug. It was eventually patched.

Collision Bugs

Collision bugs occur when an assets mesh doesn't fit its model this can lead to players getting stuck on corners of objects that don't exist and/or hitting invisible walls these types of bugs rarely cause extreme issues but a collision bug in the wrong place may bock of areas mandatory to the continuation of the game, which may lead to a gamebreaking glitch.

JE7 - Task 2

Compatibility Testing

This aspect of games testing checks if the game runs on the hardware/software it was programmed for such as, The Playstation 4 copy of the game working on the PS4 and not the PC or Xbox, As well as this Testers will check to see if the game is compatible with various accessories such as multiple different first party and - depending on the studio - third party controllers, headsets, keyboards, mouses etc.

Compliance Testing

Testing to make sure the game meets/passes the governing bodies requirements for the game to be acceptable to be released to the public. During this stage Testers will be checking for discrepancies in language translation in case any words that are offensive in another countries native language are not present, Testers will also check through the game for any content above the age rating for the game such as Sexual themes, Drugs and Alcohol, Discrimination etc. If any of these issues are encountered the developers will remove the problematic content or possibly give the game a more mature rating. 

Functionality Testing

Functionality Testing involves making sure the game functions on the software it was created for such as the Consoles operating system e.g. Xbox One and PS4, The game must work on the current and previous system patches and thus all of them must be tested.

Localisation Testing

Localisation testing is the process of screening all the dialogue in the game such as voice acting and subtitles to make sure it doesn't translate into something that either doesn't make sense or is offensive. This phase of testing isn't too complicated as the testers must be bilingual and thus will understand the different languages.

Regression Testing

Regression testing is the process of testing if the previous software developed works with the game and all previous software builds before that, Such as console updates that improve UI stability may slow down the game and impact how it runs, Certain PC operating systems may not have the tools to run the game and the developers must ensure the game does run on the operating systems they want it to run on.

Soak Testing

Soak testing involves making sure the game runs at the same optimal performance as it does when it has been running for an extended period of time, Soak testing ensures the game doesn't lose any memory during play which can lead to a hindrance in gameplay.

JE7 - Task 1

Phases of Games Testing

Pre-Production

Pre-production is the phase a game goes through when the first ideas and brain storms are created and the base game is then created based on these ideas. The game demo/prototype is then tested by the developers to see how the build fares to different extents such as ridiculously high particle effect counts and asset movement speed etc. Simply to see the limits of the build, The tester will then use this information as the benchmark for the games theoretical limits which they will refrain from reaching. It is the game testers responsibility in this stage to make sure the game runs smoothly enough to give anyone who plays it (more than likely the publisher the game will be pitched to) an adequate idea of the game.

Alpha

The Alpha phase is a bare bones build of the game released privately to a select group of people, Teams will monitor certain aspects of the build to see how they fare such as if the game will crash in asset heavy areas. It is the game testers responsibility in this stage to make sure the Alpha build runs well and so as to ensure anyone who plays the Alpha experiences it to its full extent. The reason for this is an Alpha build is the first indication to how the finished product will play. A buggy Alpha build can negatively effect the public opinion of the game and effect the games full release.

Production

In the Production phase more detail is added and existing assets are brushed up on, Cutscenes (if the game has them) will be added and all of this new and existing content will be thoroughly bug tested. Testers will perform "Memory leak" tests to check if after extended play time the game experiences any issues due to loss of memory to the systems Hard drive.

Beta Phase

A Beta is another standalone build of the game designed to stress the limits of the game, Usually public, It is known as an "Open Beta". Beta builds are usually released as a means of stress testing the games server to see if it can handle the amount of players that are playing it and then some.

Post-production

The final stage of development, the game is ready to be shipped out however the game is still bug tested and the bugs that are found are fixed in a "day one patch" that is released with the game. Even after the game is released with a day one patch the players themselves act as bug testers also due to the fact they will be playing the game. Any bugs addressed to the development team can be fixed in further patches down the line leading to a stronger more stable product.