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.